Heirs of the Ancients: Gift of Fire
by LysaKate
Summary: Her friend is missing, probably dead. Her best friend probably hates her. Her dad wants her dead. The servant is still on the loose. Her dreams still haunt her. It's a normal part of Krystol's new life, but it's about to get a lot more complicated. In the sequel to Search for Time, Krystol and her friends will be put to the test again. The question is, can they handle it this time?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.  
Rated T, mostly because I'm paranoid on this one, partially because parts of it probably are T.**

**Prologue **

The monster nervously stalked forward, its cloven hooves lightly clip-clopping on the hard ground. It was bad enough that the monster had been forced to make a trip through the Underworld. If Hades or his minions were to capture a member of the Titan's army…well, most monsters preferred not to think of what might happen. The monster shook its shaggy head. He couldn't think of things like that. He had enough bad thoughts going through his mind already. At least the Underworld was filled with demons and ghosts seeking revenge against the gods that wouldn't turn him in. That was a much more comforting thought than what awaited him.

He had been called down to Tartarus by Lord Kronos himself. Most would think that a meeting with Kronos would be good, or at least not bad. But lately, Kronos had taken a liking to finding entertainment by means of torture. Of course, the Titan Lord may have been happier if it hadn't been for his traitorous daughter, Krystol Lore. Just one month earlier, she and her friends had managed to single-handedly free the half-blood camp of California and had led a rebellion, destroying most of the Titan army. Things didn't get any brighter when the servant, Kronos' little pet, had failed to return with Lore and kill the others.

The monster stopped just short of the cavern. He thought for a second before grunting deep in his throat. The monster shook, making ash drop from its sleek body, and walked into the cavern.

"Greetings, my lord," the monster said, imitating the servant's voice. Perhaps, given the servant's small victory in the summer, he would be able to trick Kronos into thinking he was the servant and receive mercy.

"Enough with the voices, Leukrokottas," the Titan king roared. The cavern shook. "Do you honestly take me as a fool? Did you truly believe you could trick me?"

An invisible hand wrapped around the monster's throat and he was thrown back against the cavern wall. Hitting the wall hadn't hurt, but it had stunned the creature. Kronos had grown stronger.

"O-Of course not, m-my lord," Leukrokottas stuttered hastily. "I w-was merely testing you. Yes, I was making sure you were as sharp now as you were before."

"Are you calling me weak, then?"

"N-No, my lord, I…I only meant to-."

"Silence." The creature immediately shut its mouth and got to its feet slowly. "You seem to be frightened. Do you think I mean to destroy you?"

"W-Well, there have been rumors…"

"Please," Kronos snorted in annoyance, "I did that only to my more useless or incompetent monsters. I would not waste a creature with your skills. I have a…_special_ assignment for you."

"Oh?" The beast's ears perked up in curiosity as he padded closer to the pit.

"The gods believe they have won," Kronos began. "They think that they are safe once again, simply because their precious camp was saved and Lore has joined them. But I know for a fact that she is not the only one able to take the prophecy."

"She…she isn't?" Leukrokottas asked. He hadn't known there was another heir. Then again, very few had known that there had been even one heir before Lore had been claimed.

"Another heir lives. If we can sway the child to our side, we may yet be able to control the prophecy. Of course, Lore must die still. I can't have her running around and getting stronger."

"Am I to kill the girl, then, my lord?"

"No!" The cavern shook again with Kronos' rage.

Leukrokottas almost whimpered. Surely Hades would have sensed the disturbance Kronos was creating. He was sure to send scouts, and they were sure to find the quivering monster.

"I will see to her death personally!" Kronos thundered. "No, you are to find the child and watch them. Be certain that the half-bloods do not find the child. If they do, finish them off before they can take the heir. I will not lose another of our own to the gods."

"Y-Yes, my lord, and is there anything I should know about the child?"

"The child is far to the east from here. They are powerful, too, so mind yourself and do not upset them. And be cautious. We do not need the gods or half-bloods realizing that we have operations so close to them again."

"Of course, Lord Kronos, but is there any information to help identify the child or narrow down their location? Perhaps you could tell me the child's parentage?"

Kronos' sinister laugh filled the air, making the monster's hair stand on edge.

"That is not your concern. There is no need for any more rumors to move through the world. No doubt, word will soon leak that there is another heir, but we can at least hold back any other _valuable_ information. Any details of the child that spread may result in helping our enemies, or even any monsters that have not joined us and are after a snack."

"So, all I can know is that the child is powerful and that they are in the east?"

"If you do not think you can handle this, I can find another purpose for you."

"No! I…I can do this, my lord. I promise that the child will be ours."

"Good, now gather a few others and go."

Leukrokottas dipped his head toward the pit and left the cavern quickly. Outside, the beast snarled and snapped its teeth.

"This is what I get for serving him? Ugh, slave-driving, worthless piece of-." A roar escaped from Tartarus. Yipping and whimpering, Leukrokottas ran for the Fields of Punishment.

**A/N****: Hey people. So, I'm back and writing (obviously). Anyway, I should be able to update this story faster until August (thank you summer break). So, hopefully you guys will enjoy this one as much as the last. Well, that's about it, so see ya, I guess.**


	2. I Have Anger Issues

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

**C****hapter 1: I Have Anger Issues**

Okay, let's get a few things straight. It was not my idea to spend my winter break off of school out looking for half-bloods. It was not my idea to attempt to challenge the Titans again, or to cross Chiron and all of the adults. And it was definitely not my idea to head out into the world, battle a bunch of murderous monsters, and almost get all of my friends killed. But I'm getting way ahead of myself. Let's turn the clock back by about two or three weeks and start there.

I woke up and almost screamed. I was sitting straight up in bed, gasping and trying not to freak out about my dream again. My alarm clock was screaming at me and my mom was knocking on my door.

"Krystol?" she called through the door. "Krystol, you need to wake up. You're going to be late for school."

I cursed as I realized what time it was. I scrambled out of bed, grabbed some clothes from my dresser and threw my door open. I thanked my mom and hugged her before dashing down the hall to the bathroom. I didn't have time for a shower, so I just ran a wet washcloth over myself and changed quickly. Yanking a brush through my tangled hair, I hustled back to my room as the familiar _ding_ of the toaster went off. I jammed my shoes on my feet, through my jacket on, grabbed my books and backpack, and rushed to the living room.

Mom came in with some toast wrapped in a paper towel. She pushed the food into my hand and kissed me on the cheek before I ran out the door of the apartment.

Outside, I weaved through the crowds of New York City and scarfed down my breakfast. Snow was falling lightly and the air was cold. School was only three blocks away. With luck, I'd be able to make it before the bell rang.

I rushed onto campus and went inside one of the buildings. I turned the combination and opened my locker. Stuffing all but one of my class books in the locker and raced down the hall to my classroom. I sat down in my chair just as the final bell rang.

"Um, Krystol," the girl next to me said, "maybe I should tell you that this is English, not math." She tapped on my math textbook and smirked at me.

"Oh, Stacey," a girl on my other side, Miranda, said "don't make fun of her. She probably couldn't read the titles again." The girls sniggered at me. I made a noise in my throat and gave them a disgusted look.

"On the plus side," I snarled, "the confusion takes up too much time for me to be able to put on enough makeup to like a toucan." The girls both scrunched up their faces at me.

"Who's talking?" our teacher, Mrs. Brine asked.

"It was Krystol," Stacey immediately blamed.

"Miss Lore, please be quiet, or I will keep you after class," Mrs. Brine warned me.

Stacey gave me a satisfied look before tossing her hair over her shoulder and throwing her head up in a superior fashion. I just shook my head and tried to suppress the impulse to smack her over the head with my book and strangle her.

Stacey Marvolo and Miranda Jennings were best friends. Stacey, with light-blond hair and icy blue eyes, was basically the queen of Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School. She was easily the most popular student. Practically every boy wanted to date her, and practically every girl wished they were her. She was also notorious for being the school's biggest bully and richest brat. What she was doing in a public school, I still couldn't figure out. Miranda Jennings was a pretty girl with dark brown hair and leaf-green eyes. She was basically Stacey's little pet, which was probably the biggest clue that she wasn't the brightest girl around. She backed up everything that Stacey said and usually went around spreading whatever rumors Stacey could think of. And, of course, they had been my enemies since day one.

The bell finally rang, and every student rushed out of class. My mind was swimming with the new poetry terms and all of their rules that I'd probably forget by tomorrow. I made my way back to my locker and shoved my math book inside. I almost closed it when I remembered something. I swung my backpack around and started digging through it, looking for the P.E. clothes that I'd need for my next class. When I couldn't find them, I started pulling textbooks and papers out of my locker and into my arms. I was hoping that I'd forgotten to take my clothes from last week home and that they'd still be in the locker.

Of course, Stacey, Miranda, and a few other popular girls decided to walk up right at that moment.

"Hey, Kryssie," Stacey said in an annoyingly sweet voice. She'd started calling me that after a few weeks of dealing with each other, and the name usually meant trouble for me.

"You know, Stacey, I didn't realize you had five shadows," I said, trying to imitate her as I looked at her clique.

"Oh, yes, and they're very good shadows," she said, playing with a girl's curly hair. "They're nice and quiet, and they always do what I do. Oh, how I love my shadows."

"What do you want?" I asked, letting my voice go normal again.

"Nothing much, I just wanted to settle the score between us," she smiled evilly.

Before I could think of what she meant, she slammed her hands onto the books and papers in my arms and sent them crashing to the ground with a loud bang. Everyone in the hall looked over, but looked away just as quickly when they realized that it was just us. Most kids started going through their lockers faster, but others just turned and walked down the hall. Nobody wanted to get into anything that involved Stacey, and most were too afraid to help anybody unfortunate enough to get caught by Stacey.

"Oops," Stacey said innocently.

I wanted to slap the daylights out of this girl. Actually, there had been days where I wanted shove her headfirst into a locker, then dump her into a Dumpster and roll her into the Hudson River. But of course, I wasn't allowed to. One, I was pretty sure that it was illegal to do that. Two, after kicking a kid in my first school this year (which I'd only been at for three weeks) so hard that I'd almost broken his ribs, Chiron had promised that I would have a year's worth of KP if I got into any more trouble with the mortal kids.

Holding back a growl, I bent down to start scooping up my papers and textbooks.

"Oh, do you need help organizing all of that? I know you have trouble reading your stuff sometimes," Stacey mocked. The girls around her erupted with fake laughter. I stared at them, barely controlling myself. I looked back down and started grabbing at my stuff again.

"Did you hear me, Lore?" Stacey went on. I didn't answer her. By now, almost everybody was out of the hall or moving away pretty fast.

"Maybe her dyslexia's mutating and she can't hear anymore either," Miranda laughed. My anger finally boiled over. Slamming my things back on the ground, I stood up and got right in Miranda's face.

"Here's an idea that might fill that little brain of yours, Moronda," I started. "Either get some decent insults and comebacks, or just stop talking, okay?"

"Don't talk to her like that," Stacey snapped, pushing me away from Miranda.

"Why do you care?" I sneered. "After all, she's just your little puppy dog."

Stacey shoved me back against the lockers and kicked one of my textbooks down the hall.

"What do you say about that?" When I didn't respond, she moved to kick another book.

"Don't!" I yelled.

My fingers automatically snapped. Right before my eyes, Stacey and her friends froze. I gasped in shock and my hands flew to my mouth. The girls unfroze in the next second and Stacey sent another book down the hall. Tossing her hair back, Stacey strode down the hall with the others, completely unaware of what had just happened.

Still in shock, I bent down slowly and started gathering my things. That had been way too close. Gods, if the trainers at camp found out about this, they'd kill me. The bell rang, officially announcing that I was late to class. I scrambled to pick up my stuff and shoved everything inside my locker. I raced down the hall to the gym, still without clothes for P.E.

The rest of my day got worse. My P.E. coach had made me play in my normal clothes anyway. I'd gotten distracted and ended up getting pelted in the face while playing dodge ball. In Social Studies, my teacher forced me to read a chapter out loud to the class. At lunch, I'd been shoved to the back of the line and ended up only having five minutes to eat. In Science, we were studying the behaviors of mice (don't ask me why, I wasn't aware that we were even allowed to do that). Stacy had decided to open my mouse's cage when I had gone to get food for it. The next thing I knew, girls were screaming and guys were laughing as my mouse scurried across the floor. The incident landed me in the principal's office. Thankfully, I didn't get into any real trouble. On the bright side, I had missed my math class while talking to the principal. I was hoping my day would've ended decently since I had Ancient Studies my last hour. It was pretty much the coolest class any school had ever offered me, and almost nobody took it. Sadly, I had a substitute teacher that day that yelled all hour and made us read from textbooks that may as well have been ancient artifacts. After school, one of Stacey's boyfriends decided to trip me and I landed in a half-melted pile of snow.

Fuming and muttering to myself, I made my way down the streets of New York until I came to a familiar building. It was an old warehouse that was practically falling apart. I walked inside anyway. The space inside was cold and dark. I could just barely make out all of the junk the Stolls had piled up in this place. I reached the back and knocked on it, instantly setting off Tromero. I smiled a little before saying the password. Tromero quieted down and I opened the door.

Tromero licked me across the face almost as soon as I walked in.

"Alright, down boy," I laughed, trying to push the hellhound off of me. He finally backed off and sat down. Even sitting, the dog was almost as tall as me now. Running my hand over his head, I headed off into the massive store.

It looked the same as when I'd been here last month. Shelves were still stacked with mountains of just about anything a demigod would need, from armor and weapons of mass destruction to rolls of duct tape. A few boxes sat against the wall next to the door, still in their packing tape with slips from Hermes' delivery service. I walked down some of the aisles, looking for any signs of life. Three or four rows in, I caught sight of someone on a ladder. I backed up to say hi.

"Hey, Steven," I called up at the kid. He looked down at me and waved. Steven was a son of Hermes who apparently worked here during the school year.

"Travis is up at the counter," he told me. "I don't know where Connor is."

"Oh, thanks," I said. Steven went back to work. I sighed and made my way toward the desk at the back of the warehouse.

Travis was sitting in a chair and had his chin resting on the counter when I walked up.

"Hey," he mumbled. "Are you actually buying today, or do you just want the grounds?"

"Just the grounds," I nodded.

Back in August, I had gotten a note from Chiron which said I needed to train over the school year. He'd told me if I couldn't get to the camp that I could ask Travis and Connor if I could train at their shop. They had shown me the grounds, which had turned out to be an open field about the size of two football fields behind their warehouse. They didn't really have business neighbors around, or even storage neighbors for that matter, so it was highly unlikely that mortals would find the place, which was a good thing. Part of the field was covered in dummies and wooden poles for weapons practice. Another part had been turned into an obstacle course that included pits of fire, mounds of mud that could trap you, and the occasional deadly vipers. The rest had been left as an open combat area.

"Can I use your phone first, please?" I asked. "Mom will be wondering where I'm at."

"Go ahead." Travis pulled an old cord phone out from under the counter. It was one of those where you had to spin the wheel just to dial a number and you couldn't walk more than five feet away or the cord would bring the rest of the machine crashing to the ground. At least the Stolls had managed to play with the wiring and the Mist so that monsters couldn't detect it that well.

I dialed my mom's number, but I only got her voicemail. Of course, she'd still be at work right now. I left a message for her and walked to the back of the shop.

I stepped out into the cold of training grounds. I saw a snake at the obstacle course hanging from a rail covered in ropes. It hissed at me before dropping to the ground and slithering to a pit of recently extinguished fire.

I shook my head and rubbed my hands together as I walked toward the dummies. I tapped my charm bracelet, brought out my sword, and stared at it for a few seconds. The wicked blade gleamed as the sun lit up its silvery-bronze surface. It wasn't as strong as before, but I could still feel the evilness radiating from the weapon. Years as a scythe in the hands of the Titan king, Kronos, had left the blade in my hands as a cold, merciless weapon with a long, bloody past.

I huffed out a breath before tearing my eyes from it. I wasn't going to get my anger out by just staring at my sword. I raised my sword and moved to the closest dummy to me. I slashed and hacked, stabbed and sliced, until the dummy was nothing but shredded cloth and straw scattered on the ground. I moved on to the next dummy. After I decimated that one, I moved on again. I continued down the line until I had destroyed ten dummies.

Finally, I put the sword away and dragged out my discus, Nekron. I picked a pole about twenty feet away from me and started firing at it. I tossed the discus for twenty minutes without much effort. I picked up my discus for what felt like the hundredth time. Glancing at its bronze surface, I caught sight of myself and instantly welled up with at least half a dozen emotions. Anger and hatred washed over me at the sight of my own reflection.

I jumped to my feet and hurled the disc as hard as I could. The disc slammed into the pole and stuck in it. Storming forward, I ripped it out of the wood, cursed under my breath, and whipped Nekron around blindly. The sharpened discus cut right through a dummy's neck. I tapped the charm on my bracelet. The discus zoomed back toward me, and I snatched it out of the air before it could get back inside its charm. I launched it again, letting out a scream, and watched it embed itself in a dummy's stomach.

I kept calling it back and throwing it over and over. Eventually, I felt tears running down my cheeks, but I kept throwing anyway. I wasn't even sure what I was mad about anymore, or who I was blaming. Finally, I crashed to the ground and let out the grief I'd been trying to hold back for nearly six months. All of the guilt and sadness swept over me again, just like in the summer. I cried. I cried harder than I ever had in my life, except for right after that battle on Half-Blood Hill.

After a few minutes, I sat up and wiped my eyes. At least twenty dummies were now in pieces. Poles were covered in gouges. The Stolls probably wouldn't be too happy with the fact that I'd taken out so many of their dummies, but I could fix them. I'd gone into rages before, but never like this. I couldn't even remember most of what I'd done out here.

Still breathing heavily, I dragged myself to my feet and put my discus away. During my rampage, I'd lost track of time, but now I'd realized that nearly two hours had passed. It was almost five o'clock. Mom would be home by now and would probably start worrying soon.

I managed to make my way back to the warehouse and went back to the counter. I mumbled something to Travis about fixing the practice dummies and left the warehouse.

Out on the streets again, I weaved through the crowds. It was freezing cold, and the snow had started to come down harder. At least the crowds weren't as large as normal and I could move around faster.

When I got home, my face felt raw and my hands were numb. I fumbled with the door to the apartment building for a few seconds. The warm air inside rushed out across my face, but a sudden chill fell over me. I'd learned to trust that feeling and immediately rushed through the entrance. I was almost to the stairs when the man at the front desk called me back.

"Are you, uh…Krystol Lore?" he asked me.

I didn't answer him. I'd learned to not give out my name to people I didn't know. That always had a chance in resulting with an attack, which I really didn't need.

"Well, if you are, there's a letter here…" the man trailed, picking up an envelope. I perked up instantly.

"Um, yeah, I am," I whispered. I snatched the letter from his hand, stuffed it in my pocket, and rushed back to the stairs.

I raced up the steps until I got to my floor. I walked through the hall, trying to calm down before I got inside the apartment. I reached the door and stopped. I let out a breath and opened the door.

I looked around as I walked in slowly. My hand moved to my bracelet automatically. I heard steps in the kitchen. I pulled out my sword and quietly stepped toward the kitchen. I stopped outside the entrance and put my back to the wall so I was out of view. The footsteps were getting closer. A shadow appeared across the dark carpet of the living room. I took a breath and jumped around the corner.

Mom screamed when she saw me. The scream spooked me and automatically swung. Thankfully, Mom was out of my sword's reach. On the down side, I over swung and buried my sword in the wall next to me.

"Krystol," my mom said in disbelief, staring at the sword.

"Oh my gods, I'm so sorry," I gasped. I grabbed the handle and yanked on the sword. It didn't budge.

Mom ran her hand through her hair. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"I'll get it out, Mom," I promised.

I pulled again, but it still didn't move. I huffed in frustration and tugged on the sword again. Mom shook her head. She put her hand to my cheek and kissed my head before walking out. I let go of the sword and dropped my head. Six months after camp and I still couldn't manage to control that sword. I gave up and went to one of the cabinets. I pulled out a plastic cup, filled it with water, and sat down at the kitchen table.

I pulled out the envelope in my pocket. It was completely blank, except for my name that was printed on the front. I ripped it open and found a single sheet of white paper folded up inside. I let out a shaky breath and unfolded the note. Two Greek words were written neatly in the middle of the page: _Get ready._

What the heck did that mean, 'Get ready'? Get ready for what? I stared at the note in confusion. There was no name on the note, but the closer I looked, the more familiar the writing seemed. Where had I seen that writing before? An idea hit me. I got up, grabbed my cup, and walked back to my bedroom.

Sitting the cup on my windowsill, I got on the ground and reached under my bed. My hand landed on an old shoe box. I pulled it out and threw the lid back. The box was almost full of pictures, with a few letters, a hat, and some little trinkets. They were all the mementoes I'd collected from last summer and a few things from my friends.

I pulled out a crumpled ball of paper. I'd tossed it away the first day I'd gotten it, but found it again and kept it on impulse. Now, I unfolded it and held it next to the new letter. The handwriting was exactly the same as far as I could tell, and that meant Rachel was talking to me.

I shook my head. I'd made a promise to myself months ago that I wouldn't get my hopes up for anything that dealt with the prophecy Rachel had given me. She'd said that the prophecy would come true, but that would've taken a miracle. I didn't want to get all happy just to have my heart ripped apart again. Still, something came over me. I turned to my closet and pulled a backpack out of it. It was a pack of emergency half-blood stuff. Mom had decided that I would need it in case a monster ever came to the house or I had to leave for some other reason. I unzipped a small pocket and shoved the two papers inside. I heard the doorbell ring.

After a few seconds, my mom called down the hall, "Krystol, can you come out here? There's someone here to see you."

Someone came to see me? Since when did that happen? I zipped up the pocket, shoved the bag back in the closet, and pushed my box back under the bed. I didn't want Mom to walk into my room and freak out if she saw my supplies out. I grabbed my cup of water and walked back down the hall.

"Coming, Mom," I called back. "Who's at the…" I let the question hang as I caught sight of our visitor.

The cup fell out of my hand as surprise took over my mind. The girl at the door turned to face me. Her black hair was a little longer than when I'd last seen her, but it still framed the same pretty face with piercing gray eyes that I remembered.

"Hey, Krys," Brooke murmured.

**Well, nothing overly interesting to say this time... Read and review, I guess.**


	3. Here We Go Again

**Discalimer: I do not own PJO.**

**Chapter 2: Here We Go Again**

"B-Brooke," I stuttered. "Um, w-what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," she shrugged, then turned back to Mom. "May I?" Mom nodded and let her come in.

Brooke walked in quietly with her head lowered. Most people would've thought she was just being shy or something. I was willing to bet she was just hiding the fact that she was scanning the house for exits and hiding places.

"Nice place," she whispered.

"Thank you," Mom said. "Can I get you a drink or a snack?"

"No, thank you," Brooke said politely. She looked up at me with her gray eyes. "I'll be just fine."

"Are you sure…um," Mom trailed, at a loss for Brooke's name.

"Brooke," she finished. "And I'm okay, Ms. Lore. I just need to talk to Krystol for a while."

"Oh, okay," Mom said, completely taken aback by Brooke's short answers. "Krystol, why don't you bring your friend into the kitchen?"

"Actually," Brooke interrupted, "I'd like to speak with Krystol privately, if you don't mind."

"Um, I suppose not," Mom answered. "You can talk in Krystol's room if you'd like."

Brooke smiled to my mom, one of those fake smiles that she was forcing herself to make. Then she turned to me expectantly. I didn't want to leave my mom. There was hardly a single fiber of my being that didn't believe Brooke hated my guts. Part of me was still terrified of the fact that she might want to kill me for what had happened to Nick. I looked to Mom with pleading eyes, but she didn't catch it as she walked back to the kitchen. I sighed and turned without a word, leading Brooke back to my room.

I shut the door behind us and tried to squeeze myself as far as I could into a corner.

"What are you doing?" Brooke asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Oh, just trying to give myself some escape room in case you decide to come at me with your knife," I answered.

"Do you see me holding a knife?"

"It's probably hidden in your jacket sleeve or something."

Brooke looked mildly impressed. "Not bad, you're thinking. That's good. That'll be useful if you come."

"If I come? What are you talking about?"

Brooke sighed and sat down on my bed. She pulled something out of her pocket, maybe a piece of yarn or something, and started fiddling with it. She looked back up after a minute.

"I've been given another…assignment. Julius was assigned to another school back in August. He sent word in September that he'd found someone. After that, he started sending updates almost every week. I guess he figured out where the kid lived. He got Chiron to move him into the kid's orphanage sometime in October. Since then, Julius has been sending even more notes on the kid. He thinks he might have a bit of power to him, but he can't tell. There are too many kids around, too many scents. One thing he can pick out is monster, though. He doesn't know what's there, but he says there's definitely something, and it's getting stronger. Chiron's decided to send me out and help bring the kid in before something decides to make a move."

I slowly pushed away from the wall and moved toward the middle of the room. "And how do you know all of this already?"

"Like I said, I'm being sent out to bring the kid in. I was told most of the details."

"Most? Why not all?"

Brooke shrugged before answering. "They probably don't want personal info about the kid spreading."

"That can happen?"

"You'd be surprised. I actually didn't know what you looked like, or even your name, before I met you."

"Really?" Brooke just nodded before looking back down at her hands. "So…why did you come to me then?"

"Well, Chiron told me that I could take someone along with me to help, so long as they don't screw things up. My parents jumped on board with the idea as soon as they heard it."

"Okay…" I trailed slowly. I could already tell where this was going, and part of me was saying that I wouldn't like how it ended.

"So," Brooke stood up and faced me, "I wanted to see if you'd consider coming."

And there it was. I didn't know how to answer her. Besides, what would Mom think? Last time I'd taken off with Brooke, I'd been away for over two months. I couldn't do that to Mom again, especially with Christmas coming up soon. That was her favorite time of the year.

I ran my hand through my hair and started pacing the room. I tried not to look at Brooke. Even though she normally had an impassive expression, I could just barely hear the emotion in her voice. That was a hint that if I looked her in the eye, I'd find the desperation and pleading that always sucked me into whatever she wanted. Finally, I couldn't help but look up at Brooke. She was standing still next to my bed, staring at whatever was in her hands. I moved toward her a little and caught sight of the object: a leather necklace with two beads on it. It was Nick's.

I sighed and said, "I'll see if Mom's okay with it."

I turned and walked out of the room. Mom was sitting in the living room with her head in her hands. Next to her was a woman that scared me about as much as Brooke did: Annabeth. Annabeth looked up and gave me a weak smile.

"Hi, Krystol," Annabeth said. I waved at her.

"So," Mom started, "Annabeth came in a few minutes ago and explained things."

"She told you what Brooke wants?" Mom nodded. "So…?"

Mom seemed to struggle with herself before saying anything. "Do you want to go?"

I didn't answer. I honestly hadn't expected Mom to actually consider the idea.

"It's okay if you don't want to go," Brooke mumbled, walking around me and over to Annabeth. "I'd understand."

I sighed and looked back between my mom, Brooke, and Annabeth. Without even knowing why, I made my choice.

"I'll go," I muttered. Mom dropped her head, but Annabeth seemed to be happy. Brooke swayed a little, then moved forward and wrapped me in a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered. She stepped away and moved back to Annabeth.

Mom walked around me and put her arms around my shoulders. "When do you leave?" she asked Annabeth in a depressed tone.

"Right away," she answered.

"What?" my mom and I burst out together.

"Well, we were actually leaving town before we came here," Annabeth explained. "This was kind of a last minute decision."

"More like a last minute forcing," Brooke grumbled.

"Brooke," Annabeth warned. Brooke let out a breath and dropped her head. "Anyway, if it's too much trouble, you…you don't have to come, Krystol."

"No, it's fine," I said. "Well, if it's okay with Mom, that is."

Mom sighed and turned to look at me. "You can go, on one condition: you need to be home in time."

"I know, Mom. I'll be back by Christmas."

"Are you kidding? You'd better be home for your birthday, missy."

I almost protested, but caught Mom smiling. I reached around and hugged her.

"I'll try," I promised her.

"We'll be in the lobby when you're ready," Annabeth said.

Mom pulled away and opened the door for Annabeth and Brooke. She closed the door behind them and walked back over to me.

"Is your bag ready?" she asked.

"For summer," I grumbled. "I just need to toss in some long sleeve shirts, switch out the capris for pants, and grab an extra jacket. Otherwise, I'm good."

"Good," she nodded, walking back to my room with me. "By the way, do you happen to know where you're going exactly?"

"Uh…" I trailed off. I opened up my closet and pulled out an extra sweater.

"Brooke didn't tell you where you're going?"

"No, but maybe it just slipped her mind."

"Brooke seems like a very smart little girl, Krystol. I don't think she'd forget something as important as the location."

"I don't know. She didn't really say much at all. I guess she doesn't actually know…well, anything really. Brooke only knows some of the details."

Mom didn't respond. I looked up and saw her staring at a picture I'd taped to my window. It was a picture of Mom and me from when I was about seven or eight. Mom was behind me and had her arms wrapped around me in a hug. I was holding onto an old, green Frisbee. Mom was laughing in the picture, probably at me. I was smiling at the camera with the biggest grin I ever remembered wearing. One of my front teeth was missing.

Mom sighed and touched the picture with a longing look. I stood up and grabbed Mom's hand.

"I'll be fine, Mom," I promised. "I'll be careful, and I'll get home as soon as I can."

Mom wrapped me in a hug and whispered, "You'd better be."

Mom let go and picked up my bag for me. I reached under my bed and pulled the box out again. I opened it and pulled out the hat on impulse. The hat was sort of a gift from my friend, Nick. He'd given it to me right before he'd sacrificed himself to save me, Brooke, and our friend, Alex. I took my bag from Mom and shoved the hat inside before swinging it onto my shoulders.

Mom and I quietly walked down to the lobby. Brooke was waiting by the front door. I hugged Mom and walked over to Brooke. Brooke opened the door and waited for me to walk out. I glanced back at Mom one more time before leaving the apartment building.

Outside, the streets were unusually quiet and almost empty. Leave it to a blizzard to clear out New York.

"Where's Annabeth?" I asked, raising my voice to be heard over the wind.

"In the car," Brooke shouted back. "She's warming it up."

We struggled against the storm and practically fell into Annabeth's car.

"Cold out there?" Annabeth joked as the car rolled forward

"Just a little," Brooke answered.

"So, where are we going?" I asked.

"Ithaca, New York," Brooke mumbled.

"Are you serious?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yes, and in case you're wondering, it was named after the Ithaca of Greece. Don't ask me why, I don't know why they named it that."

"Oh. So, uh, how long will it be until we get there?"

"In this weather," Annabeth started, "probably around five or six hours. That's _if_ we drive all night, though."

I sighed and sat back against the seat. This was going to be a long ride. Eventually, I fell asleep.

I was somewhere in upstate New York, in the middle of a shadowy forest. The ground was blanketed by snow. Dark clouds filled the sky. A light mist moved slowly through the trees. I walked through the woods and looked around for any signs of life. Even in winter, I still expected to hear birds or something.

I eventually came to the shore of a lake. _Cayuga_. The name came to me automatically. I heard voices off to my side, somewhere in the trees. I turned and followed the voices. The mist got thicker with each step until I could hardly even see the trees a foot in front of me. I stumbled and stopped behind a tree. The voices were almost perfectly clear now.

-_move soon_ a voice hissed.

_No_ another growled. _You know our orders._

_Yes, keep watch and get rid of pests. Well, if you ask me, that pest is getting too close._

_I'll decide when they're too close. For now, just blend in with the mortals and don't blow our cover._

The other monster hissed in annoyance before tromping away through the woods. The one that I'd assumed was in charge growled again and muttered something I couldn't make out then stomped away.

I waited for something else to happen. A warm feeling suddenly filled the woods. I turned around. The mist was slowly fading away. I squinted and tried to see if something was coming before my dream could cut out on me. A dark form moved through the mist. It looked human, but I couldn't make out anything else before my dream faded away. The last thing I remembered was a warm feeling spreading over me.

I woke up and found myself leaning on the car window. The sky was dark. We were parked outside of a gas station in what looked like the middle of nowhere. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"Oh, did you finally wake up?" Annabeth yawned from the driver's seat.

"Um, yeah," I said groggily.

Annabeth didn't respond. I saw Brooke nestled against her door. She was fidgeting a little in her sleep. I realized that it was just after midnight. Annabeth must've been tired and pulled over. Considering that Brooke was a lot like her, I'd guessed that Annabeth had decided to stay awake and keep watch while Brooke and I slept.

"If you want to get some sleep, I can keep watch," I offered. "I'm not really tired."

Annabeth turned and looked at me skeptically. After a few seconds, she nodded and sank back into her seat. I leaned back in my seat and stared out into the night.

Around four o'clock, Brooke woke up and offered to keep watch. I agreed, but didn't fall asleep. The dream had put me on edge for some reason. Finally, just after six o'clock, Annabeth woke up. She went into the station store and came back with a bag of chocolate donuts and little bottles of chocolate milk.

Two silent hours later, we pulled into another gas station, this one in Ithaca. This time, Annabeth took us in with her. She nodded to Brooke and walked over to the drink coolers. Brooke nudged me and nodded her head toward the front counter. She walked up to the counter and caught the clerk's attention.

"Excuse me," she started politely, "do you know where the Cayuga Lake Children's Home is?"

I instantly froze. _Cayuga?_ This had to be some kind of joke. But I knew better than that. In that case, did Brooke know that the monsters were catching on to Julius? I didn't know, but I wasn't about to take a chance by taking things slow. Last time I'd let things slow down, we'd paid a serious price for it.

The clerk looked at us skeptically.

"Our friend lives there," I quickly added.

He looked at us strangely for another second before saying, "It's on Gardner Parkway, near Stewart Park and across the highway from Boynton Middle School. It's only a few miles away."

"Thank you," Brooke said and turned away.

"We need to talk," I whispered to her once we were out of the clerk's earshot. Brooke ignored me and walked out of the store.

I stopped at the door and sighed. Annabeth came up to me a minute later and asked where Brooke was. I waved my hand at the door. Annabeth must've gotten the general idea and opened the door. She held it until I walked out and we went back to the car.

Brooke told Annabeth the directions we'd been given. Annabeth unfolded a map and started looking at it. I glanced over her shoulder at the map, but I only looked for a few seconds. All of the little names mushed together were murder on my eyes. After a few minutes, Annabeth folded the map up and started the car.

We drove through Ithaca. This wasn't like the New York cities that I was used to. For one, this was more of a town than a full on metropolis. Its streets weren't crowded with honking taxis and there was enough room on the sidewalks that kids could have to rollerbladed and rode their bikes around without hitting people. There were a lot more houses than apartment buildings. It wasn't one of those close-knit, everybody's-family kind of towns, but one of those where you'd still like to raise a family or go on vacation to. A blanket of fresh snow covered the yards of the town and sat on roofs and tree branches.

The further we drove, the more spread out the town got. After fifteen minutes, a lake started coming into view between the trees. Finally, we passed a school and crossed under a highway. We came on to Gardner Parkway and passed a beaten down building. I'd only caught a glimpse of it, but I'd seen a couple dozen kids surrounding the building. Some windows had been busted out and the brick walls were chipped and busted. It was like Ithaca had forgotten about this place, or had maybe tried to disown it. I knew it wasn't a place I'd want to live in, but that it was the place we were looking for.

"Mom," Brooke said, sitting straight up.

"I saw it," Annabeth said. "I'm going to drop you guys off in the park, just in case something's watching."

Annabeth drove on and took the road all the way to the end of Stewart Park, out by the lake. Brooke and I got out of the car. Brooke went to the trunk to pull out her backpack. Annabeth leaned out of the window and whispered to me before I could walk away.

"Krystol, please watch her," Annabeth said, practically begging. She kept her face expressionless, but her eyes told a different story, just like Brooke always did.

I nodded to Annabeth, though I was sure Brooke could keep an eye out for herself better than I ever could. Annabeth pursed her lips before leaning back in her seat and rolling up her window. Annabeth backed the car up and turned it around. She stopped and rolled down the window again.

"Brooke," she called. Brooke looked over to her mom. "I love you, baby." I stood there awkwardly, just waiting for when they'd be done.

"Love you," Brooke mumbled back. Annabeth sighed, but she rolled the window up and drove off anyway.

"That wasn't much of a goodbye," I said after a moment. Brooke glared at me and stormed away. She dropped her pack on to the ground and sat down on a park bench.

"What's up with you and your mom?" I asked.

Brooke sighed and looked out at the lake. "My parents and I aren't exactly on the same page. Ever since…last summer…I have pretty much been smothered. I can't think of a single day since then that I haven't been under my parents' constant watch, or when I wasn't being trailed by a satyr or one of my parents' half-blood-friends. I've spent most of my weekends basically imprisoned in our house. The days off from school have been spent at camp. My parents go out of their way to pick me up from school every day so that they know where I'm at, and…it's just been a complete mess."

Brook buried her head in her hands, but not before I caught her eyes shining with tears. I let out a silent breath and looked out at the lake. Small pieces of thin ice had formed along the banks. Across a thinner part of the lake to our side was a forest covered in snow. I bent my head to the side, trying to figure out why the woods looked familiar. I gasped when it hit me: they were the woods from my dream. I turned to Brooke to try and tell her, but she was already picking up her bag.

"Come on," she said, "we need to find Julius."

I grabbed my bag and followed her. Our feet crunched through the snow. A few kids were playing on a slide and on a swing set. A couple of other people were walking around on the sidewalk or sitting on the benches. Brooke and I walked through the cold silently. Even in my jacket and pants, I could still feel the cold.

"Lunatic," Brooke mumbled after a few minutes in the park.

"What?" I asked. She waved her hand toward something ahead of us.

I looked up and saw what had to be the most insane kid in the world. A boy, maybe thirteen or fourteen, was sitting alone on bench. He had short, light-blond hair and a light tan. He looked like he might've been a runner based on his build. The insane part: he was wearing a pair of dark shorts that cut off at his knees, a short-sleeved red shirt, and a pair of worn sneakers. He had black sunglasses on and a pair of headphones in his ears.

"Idiot," I said, almost laughing.

"I know, and I thought we knew some crazy people," Brooke said, actually chuckling a little. I laughed with her and we kept walking.

"By the way," Brooke started once she was done laughing, "we aren't Krystol and Brooke here, okay?"

"We're not?" I asked.

"No. Remember how I came to Ellis Academy as Brooklyn? That's because I didn't know what monsters might be around. The same rule applies here. We use different names and hope that the monsters around here are stupid enough to overlook our appearances."

"Okay, like what?"

"I'll just stick to Brooklyn on this one. We just need to figure out a name that you'll respond to."

"Christina?" I suggested.

"Doesn't matter to me," Brooke shrugged. "As long as you respond to it, I don't care."

"Hey, guys!" a familiar voice shouted.

We looked over to see Julius trotting toward us. He was dressed in an orange sweatshirt, gray sweatpants, and a beanie to cover his stubby horns.

"Julius!" I shouted back. He came over and hugged us both tightly.

"Hey, man, how's it been?" I asked.

"Alright, I guess," he answered, "but I've been freezing my tail off since before November."

"Wimp," Brooke teased. Julius rolled his eyes and gave her a shove.

"So, where's this kid at?" Brooke asked.

"Aaron Freestone," Julius told us, turning around and walking off. "He's twelve, almost thirteen. He lives in the orphanage down the street. And, uh, he's kind of different."

"Well, duh," I joked, "he's a half-blood."

"Even then," he muttered. Brooke got a confused expression and looked to me. I just shrugged at her.

"So, where is he?" Brooke asked again. Julius pointed ahead of us, right at the crazy boy.

"You've got to be kidding me," I sighed.

"Oh, who are you this time?" Julius asked quietly as we came close to the kid.

"Brooklyn and Christina," Brooke whispered. Julius nodded and covered the last couple of feet quickly. He slid onto the bench, right into the blond boy.

"Hey, man," he said. The kid looked up and gave Julius a small smile before looking back down at his hands. "So, uh, these are some of my friends from the big city."

The boy looked up again at us. It was hard to tell with the glasses on, but he seemed to have a soft and kind face, which really surprised me. I'd have thought of the kid as one of those guys who thought he was cool because he had a cheap pair of sunglasses and did stupid stuff. He smiled at me, then turned his head a little to Brooke. After a second or two, his cheeks went red and he looked back down.

"I'm Brooklyn," Brooke said, offering a hand out to Aaron. Aaron looked up enough to find her hand. He grabbed it and shook it.

"Christina," I said, even though I'd almost said my real name. Aaron shook my hand too, then dropped his head again.

I looked at his hands to see what he kept looking at. It was a little IPod, one of those that still had a circle button and a tiny screen, except that the screen had been busted out. It was now covered over with what looked like camera film.

"I'm Aaron," he said softly.

"So," I started, rocking back and forth on my feet, "why exactly are you walking around in a tee-shirt and shorts?"

Aaron shrugged and said, "It's not cold."

"You're kidding, right?" I almost laughed. "It's, like, ten degrees out, maybe." Aaron just shrugged again and looked down at his IPod.

"What happened to that?" Brooke asked, pointing at the IPod.

"I bought it last May," Aaron said. "I used money from mowing lawns and dog walking."

"A kid broke it a month after Aaron got it," Julius explained. "The jerk tossed it out of a third-story window and the screen busted out."

"Then why do you still have it?" Brooke asked.

"People bother you less," Aaron answered.

_Great_ I thought._ Now I get to deal with another short-answerer. _As if Brooke wasn't bad enough.

A group of kids walked up to us, pushing each other around and laughing like idiots. One of the kids, a big and burly boy, stepped in front of the others and smiled cruelly. Julius looked up at the boys, but Aaron kept his head down.

"What's up, losers," the boy said gruffly.

"Hey, Bryan," Julius said nervously.

"Well, would you look at this," the kid whistled as his eyes fell on Brooke and I. "Why are two good-looking chicks like you hanging out with these losers?"

Okay, I know he called us good-looking, but I was still seriously offended. Given Brooke's expression, I was guessing she felt the same way.

"Listen," Brooke said sweetly, "I'd really appreciate it if you didn't refer to me as a chick. And I'm hanging out with these guys because I'd rather be around people who are actually capable of comprehending every word that I utter, not a horde of imbeciles who are incapable of reading the most basic pieces of literature and stare at every female who walks by with a pair of tight jeans on. Does that make sense?"

Most of the boys looked at Brooke with blank stares. A few were looking at each other with dumbfounded expressions. Bryan, though he didn't seem to know everything that Brooke had said, looked like he had at least figured out that she had insulted him.

"You little…" Bryan let the threat hang and reached for Brooke, but she ducked under his arm and spun around him. Bryan turned around to go after her and Brooke pulled her arm back to punch him, but Aaron had already jumped up and gotten between them.

"Move it, Fristone," Bryan snarled.

"Freestone, moron," Brooke growled at him.

"Doesn't matter," Bryan hissed back. "He's a nobody, a nothing. Nobody wants him, and he's just a worthless mess. Why else would his mom have dumped him at this place?"

All of the boys in Bryan's group broke out laughing and cackling. Aaron flinched and his head drooped toward the ground. Bryan took the opening. He reached past Aaron and grabbed Brooke. Aaron's head snapped up a second before Brooke shouted. Aaron slammed his fist into Bryan's jaw and sent the big kid sprawling. Bryan's group stood in a dazed silence for a few seconds before yelling and running toward us. Brooke slammed her elbow into the first boy's gut and turned around in time to nail another in the chest with a kick. Bryan managed to jump up and grabbed Aaron by the throat when he'd gotten distracted by the others. Bryan drove Aaron to the ground. Julius was on Bryan in second, holding on to him like he was having a piggy-back ride. Figuring he had things under control, I moved in tripped a kid that had been coming up behind Brooke.

In a few minutes, we had all of the boys rolling on the ground or crawling away. I turned to see how Julius and Aaron were handling Bryan. Bryan shoved Julius away from him. Julius hit the ground and went rolling. Aaron jumped up from the ground and swung at Bryan again. Bryan turned faster than I could blink and caught Aaron's hand. He latched on to Aaron's throat again with his other hand. I wasn't sure if I was seeing things, but Bryan seemed to grow and actually lifted Aaron off the ground. Brooke darted forward and snapped a kick into Bryan's side. Bryan was thrown sideways and Aaron dropped to the ground.

Julius was back on his feet and next to Brooke in a flash. I raced forward and crouched next to Aaron, my hand hovering over him protectively. Aaron was coughing and gasping for breath. Bryan struggled back to his feet. He got ready to charge when barking filled the air. A massive Rottweiler with vicious teeth slid to a halt in front of Bryan and started growling. Bryan looked at the dog in anger, then back to us.

"This isn't over," he growled, pointing at Aaron. The dog butted him in the leg and the pair walked off without another word.

Brooke and Julius came out of their defensive stances and walked back to us.

"Are you alright, man?" Julius asked. Aaron, who was now breathing better and propped up on his elbows, nodded.

"That's good," Brooke said. "You know, you're not a bad fighter."

Normally, it would've seemed like a decent compliment, but I could see Brooke's eyes already calculating what had happened. Her mind was already analyzing all of the possibilities. She offered Aaron a hand up. Aaron took it and Brooke pulled him to his feet. I had to hold back the impulse to say 'wow' when Aaron stood up. Now that he wasn't moving around, I realized just how tall the kid was. He had to be at least five-and-a-half feet tall, at the minimum. Most of the boys his age at my school were barely over five feet, and this kid was already setting up to easily be six feet tall. Even Brooke looked surprised.

Aaron shifted anxiously as Brooke's eyes swept over him. There she went again, moving past surprises to find even the smallest details to help her. Brooke finally dropped her gaze and walked away. Aaron's shoulders relaxed and he turned around to me.

"Thanks," he murmured. I shrugged at him like it was no big deal. I noticed his sunglasses had a crack on one of the lenses and an arm was bent a little. I promised myself that I'd make sure he got another pair.

After the whole fight, the four of us sat around and really only made small talk. I was quickly learning that Aaron really wasn't one of the guys who thought he was cool. He just happened to be really quiet and didn't like to draw attention to himself, and it might've worked if he didn't wear shorts and tee-shirts in the middle of winter.

After a few hours of boredom, Brooke reached into her bag and pulled out a deflated beach ball. She blew it up and asked if we wanted to play volleyball. Julius and I agreed easily, but Aaron took a little convincing. It only took a few minutes to get Aaron off the bench and playing. Brooke set up the teams as boys versus girls. She was probably hoping to play it off as sticking Aaron with someone he knew, but I could tell it went further than that. The fight had shaken Brooke, and not because she'd actually fought with mortals. Throughout the game, Brooke had gradually moved closer to me.

"Did you see what happened?" she asked once she was close enough.

"In the fight?" I asked, hitting the ball back to Julius.

"Yeah."

"The part with Bryan lifting Aaron?"

Brooke nodded "And the dog."

"Yeah, I saw it. Freaky, huh?"

"You're telling me. I think we might have more trouble than we thought."

I let the conversation hang in the air. Brooke was right. Julius had said he could smell monster, and something had definitely been up with Bryan. But could our luck really be so bad that we would find monsters that quickly? _Yes_ I told myself. _Yes, it could._

We gave up on volleyball after a few more hours and roamed around the park in circles. Every time we came within sight of the other shore where my dream woods were, I felt the hair on my neck stand up. That place was definitely creepy.

The sunset came quickly. Julius and Aaron headed back to the orphanage, leaving Brooke and I in the middle of the park. When night started closing in, Brooke led me over to the orphanage.

An up close view of the place was even less appealing than a drive-by shot. The bushes out front were nothing more than standing twigs. The front porch was sagging in the middle and the wood planks were starting to rot. A few kids, ranging from four-years-old to about seventeen-years-old, were still roaming around outside. The little kids were playing with ragged dolls and beat up racecars. The older kids either sat or mulled around with depressed and sad faces.

After watching them for a few minutes, Brooke moved to the back of the building. A few trash cans that had so much trash it was falling on the ground were shoved up against the brick wall. Brooke cleared a spot free of snow and sat down in it. I sat next to her. Brooke told me to get some sleep. I curled up next to the wall, using my bag as a pillow, and managed to fall asleep, thankfully without dreams.

**Okay, I know this another slow chapter, but I can guarantee that it will pick up next chapter. I just had to use this to set up some things. Anyway, enjoy it, I guess. R&R.**


	4. I Learn How to Jack A Boat

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

**Chapter 3: I Learn How To Jack A Boat**

I woke Brooke up at dawn. Her eyes snapped open and looked wild, like she didn't know where we were or something, but she was fine again in a few seconds. We decided to head out into the park again, before we got caught by peeking eyes at the orphanage.

At the far end of the park, Brooke and I nibbled on snacks we'd packed and watched early-morning fishermen sail across the lake. The sky was dark and cloudy, and a layer of mist was slowly moving through the trees around us.

"Is it just me," I started, "or is this going to be one of those randomly creepy days?" Brooke looked at me for a few seconds and went back to eating.

After another hour, we caught sight of Julius moving across the park alone. He came over and sat down with us, and he didn't look like he'd been having a good day.

"What's up?" I asked him. He shook his head back and forth and pursed his lips.

"We're in trouble, guys," Julius warned. "I'd thought that bringing another half-blood or two up here would make whatever monsters were around back off a little. If anything, it's only made things worse."

"How so?" Brooke asked curiously.

"Well, Bryan's group, which obviously a few members of it have got some serious issues, was threatening Aaron again at dinner. When I tried to step in, they just pushed me away and said I was only making life worse for myself. And the monster smells? They're actually stronger, like another group just joined overnight."

"And where is Aaron?" Brooke asked.

"He's back at the orphanage. It was his turn to help with breakfast this morning."

"And you just left him alone with monsters in the house?"

"He's got the kitchen workers around him. Trust me; those ladies are crazy enough with a rolling pin in their hands that no monster will go near him for now. He'll be fine, and I told him I'd be out here when he's done."

"In that case, maybe we should figure out how to get out of this place," I suggested. Julius gave me a shocked look.

"Chiron wanted me to watch the kid until the end of the month," he told us. "He said he'd decide whether or not to bring Aaron in after that."

"Yeah, well, Chiron's not here," Brooke muttered. "He doesn't know the kind of position we're in, and there's no way we'd be able to get news down to him in time before something happens. We're on our own right now."

"Well, we could message him," Julius offered.

Brooke shook her head before answering. "There's no way to make a rainbow. It's too cloudy out."

Julius looked desperate, but he finally gave in. "Fine, but remember, the last time I listened to you on this stuff, we ended fighting three psychotic monsters just to get Krys into camp."

"And if you had listened and moved sooner like I'd suggested, we probably would've had a better chance at avoiding those monsters."

Julius stared at Brooke for a few seconds with a frown before saying, "Shut up." Brooke just grinned and rolled her eyes, knowing she'd won.

"So, how are we planning on getting out of here?" I asked.

"There's a pedestrian bridge not too far from here," Julius said. "It crosses the lake to another piece of land south of here. Another bridge comes up after that and crosses to the land over there." Julius pointed at the woods across the lake. "Otherwise, we'd have to be able to get around the monsters at the house, and that's not likely. We either cross the lake, or fight and get cornered down here."

"Not much of a choice," Brooke muttered. "Is there anything you can tell us about Aaron, since he says next to nothing about himself?"

"Well, he's obviously quiet. He's never really said much since I've known him. He doesn't like crowds or tight spaces. Even in school, between classes, he usually presses himself into a corner or hangs out in a doorway while everyone's walking. Or he'll sit in the seats at the edge of the classrooms and eat at the tables closest to the trashcans or something."

"He sounds like a basic half-blood," I said, "minus the quiet part."

"No, it's worse than that," Julius countered. "I've never seen a kid work as hard as he does to be alone. And he's really not much of a fighter. I don't know what happened yesterday that he actually punched Bryan, but I've never seen him do it before. I mean, I've seen him get up and stand in front of a bully picking on the little kids or something, but he's never really said anything when he does, let alone punched somebody."

"Then what happened yesterday?" Brooke asked. Julius shrugged and continued.

"I don't know much about his past. He never really says much about it."

"Well then, he and Brooke should get along just fine," I smiled. Julius almost laughed. Brooke didn't look amused.

"Nah, he's not like that," Julius said. "Brooke has more of a trust-issue-fear kind of thing with her past, and really only at one part. Aaron never really says anything about any part of his past, especially about when he was little. And he never gets a hard face or looks cautious or anything when you ask him. He just drops his head, almost like he's embarrassed or something."

I tried to think of something to say, but I was saved by the sound of crunching snow. I looked to the side and saw Aaron, dressed in a faded pair of gray shorts and a black shirt that was too big for his thin frame. His sunglasses still covered his face, but he didn't seem to have his IPod on him.

"Hey," Julius smiled, "you got out early today." Aaron just shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Hey, have you ever gone hiking through the woods over there?" Brooke asked him, pointing off to the woods across the lake. Aaron shook his head no. "Well, we were thinking of trying it later, just to see what it looks like. Do you want to come with?"

I looked at Julius. He shrugged at me, not knowing what Brooke was doing either. Aaron stared off at the trees for a minute. He looked back at us with a smile and nodded.

"Alright then, why don't you go and a pack a bag and we'll meet up in, let's say an hour." Aaron nodded again.

"Okay, I'll take him back and get ready," Julius said, sounding a little nervous.

"We'll be here," Brooke told him, "ready when you are."

Aaron and Julius turned and walked away.

"And bring some extra clothes," Brooke called after them.

Julius shook his head. Aaron looked back with a confused expression.

"People tend to get wet when I'm around," Brooke explained. She turned around with a smile on her face, a real one, too. "Come on, I want to scout out that bridge before we head over."

"Why?" I asked. "What are we doing?"

"Getting out of here," she replied shortly.

* * *

Brooke and I sat on a park bench near the lake. Brooke's foot was tapping impatiently in the snow. I kept fidgeting, getting bored and anxious. Julius and Aaron should have been here three hours ago. Where were they? Brooke huffed angrily and got to her feet. She started pacing back and forth.

"Where the Hades are they?" she muttered. I wasn't sure if she was talking to me or herself, but I decided not to answer. "They should have been here by now. We actually have a chance to get the kid out, and they bail? Gods, I am _so_ going to kill them."

I let out a breath and looked across the park. I could see the top of the orphanage through the trees. Some of the kids I'd seen at the orphanage yesterday were moving around at the far edge of the park, but Julius and Aaron weren't among them. I was starting to get nervous. I knew Julius, and I knew he wouldn't have kept Aaron in a place with people he didn't trust. So why wasn't he here?

I was considering walking up to the orphanage and dragging the boys out when I caught sight of somebody walking around in shorts. _Well_ I thought_ at least he's easy to spot._

"Brooke," I called. She looked back at me with a strained expression. "Aaron's here."

Brooke looked past me and spotted him. A dark look crossed her face, and I knew she was mad. Normally, I would've told her to calm down, but I was a little ticked off at this point, too. Aaron walked up with his head down and his shoulders hunched over. A backpack was slung over his shoulder, but it didn't look very full.

"Where have you been?" Brooke snapped. "And where's Julius?"

"Brooke," I said.

"What?"

"Don't be so snappy. He's probably got a good explanation."

Brooke opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. She turned around and started kicking at the snow.

"You'd better have a good explanation," I whispered quickly to Aaron. Boy, wouldn't it be nice if he didn't and I looked like an idiot.

"We…we got stuck at the house," he murmured. "Julius told me to come here. He said he'd be out soon."

"Why isn't he with you?"

Aaron shrugged. "Bryan started pushing us around. Julius kind of got nervous. He just sent me out here. I don't know why."

I ran my hand through my hair and bit my lip.

"Brooke," I called, "we might have a problem."

"What, no good explanation?" she sneered. I was really starting to get sick of her.

"First off, don't been so mean. It's not like we actually planned to mess with your idea. And you invited me, remember? Second, we might actually have a serious problem here."

"What this time?"

"Bryan was messing with them again. Julius sent Aaron out here."

"Alone?" Brooke looked concerned now. Aaron nodded. Brooke let out a breath and ran her hands through her hair. "This is bad."

"Really? I couldn't tell," I snapped sarcastically.

Brooke turned on me angrily. "I really don't need this right now, Krystol."

"Yeah, well I'm sick of this crap, too, Brooke."

"You're sick of this? I've been going through months of insanity! Do you have any idea what it's like to be haunted by the same dream every night? You have no idea how they treat me at the camp. I'm like glass at that place. Everyone acts like I'm going to break any second. If there's even the slightest suspicion that a monster's around, I get shipped off to my cabin. My life has basically turned into a personal prison of misery."

"Oh, yeah, 'cause you're one to talk. I've been living in constant fear of the fact that I'm most likely number one on my father's kill list, and that he'd probably do anything to get his hands on me! Besides, in the camp, you don't have to watch your back every second to keep a monster from killing you. _And_, you don't have to deal with a bunch of idiotic mortals who treat you like absolute crap!"

"Oh, poor you. How sad is it that you have to deal with monsters and mortal kids who don't know the truth. Well, here's a news flash: that's life, okay. You're no different than any other half-blood."

"You know what? This wouldn't be my life if you hadn't shown up and brought me to camp. My life might've been normal."

"You would've been brought in anyway. But I'm on your side here. If you hadn't come along, you might've had a normal life, that quest might've not happened, and Nick might still be here."

"Brooke, that's not fair. You can't blame me for what happened. Nick wanted to go. He wanted me to hold you guys back."

"He was my brother! It was my job to watch him. He was your friend! You had just as much responsibility as me."

"You think I wanted him gone? I would've done anything to help him."

"Then why didn't you?"

"He made me swear, Brooke."

"I don't care! We could've saved him."

"He didn't want us to. He wanted us to let him go."

"Um, guys," Aaron whispered hesitantly.

"What?" Brooke and I screamed together.

The poor kid looked terrified. Then again, Brooke and I had just had a scream fest on all kinds of things that he had no idea about. Had the tables been turned, I would've been freaked out, too. He shook his head and pointed behind himself. I looked past him and saw Julius. Julius was basically running for his life with half-a-dozen monsters chasing him, and they didn't look like happy monsters.

"Of course," Brooke muttered. She turned to Aaron, already acting like the fight hadn't happened. "Get out of here."

"What?"

"Go with Krys and get out of here." She grabbed his arm and shoved him toward me. I grabbed Aaron and helped him regain his balance.

"Brooke," I snapped.

She turned around and glared at me. "We can talk later, alright? Right now, we need to get Aaron out of here and keep Julius from becoming a goat kebab."

I gave Brooke a hard stare. I let out an angry breath after a few seconds and turned around. I stormed past Aaron. After a few steps, I heard another pair of feet crunching through the snow behind me.

"Aaron," Brooke called. I stopped and turned around to wait.

Brooke unzipped her jacket. The dagger she'd been hiding under it was now visible. She unsheathed it and threw it through the air. It flew end over end toward Aaron. He managed to snatch it out of the air, but almost dropped it into the snow.

"Keep yourself armed," Brooke warned. She turned and raced across the snow as she pulled her sword out.

Aaron didn't move. I stepped toward him. He was staring in shock at the knife in his hands. I grabbed his arm and pulled him after me.

"What…?" he trailed.

"It's a long story. Just hold on to the dagger. Brooke would kill you if you lost it," I told him. "Do you know where the bridge is?" Aaron nodded. "Show me then." We took off running toward the bridge as battle sounds began to fill the air.

* * *

Aaron and I made it over the two bridges and to the far woods. Aaron fell behind and started stumbling. I skidded to a stop, sending snow flying. Aaron was doubled-over and gasping for air.

"Aaron, come on," I pleaded. "We have to keep moving."

If he'd been more talkative and had enough breath, I'm pretty sure Aaron would've used a few choice words at that moment. I moved toward him and opened my mouth to say something, but the sound of footsteps stopped me. I looked past Aaron, but it was too hard to see. Fog had started to form since we'd set foot on the first bridge, and now it was too thick to see through. I could barely make out what was two feet in front of my face, if that.

I pulled out my sword. I would've preferred to take on whatever was coming with my discus, but I couldn't make a decent shot in this fog.

"Keep that dagger up," I whispered to Aaron. I didn't bother to see if he was even reacting.

The footsteps were getting closer. I could see shadowy figures appearing in the fog. I gripped my sword and went into a battle stance. The figures got closer. I lashed out with my sword. The sound of metal clanging on metal filled the air. My blow was stopped, and I was shoved away. I looked back up and saw a blade coming down, right for my head. I caught the blade, but whoever had it used the connection to push me back. I was slammed into a tree, pinned between it and the blades.

"Krys?" someone said. I looked up and found Brooke on the other end of the sword. She pulled away from me. "Sorry, I didn't know it was you. I can't see in this crap."

"I think it's clearing out," Julius said.

I looked over and saw that he was right. Everything within a five foot radius was completely clear. And it was actually warm around us now, too. It was one of the weirdest things I'd ever experienced, and that was saying something. Brooke mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that?" I asked.

"It's not clearing out," she repeated. "Look. It's only clear around us. The rest of the fog is still a thick wall. I mean, it's not like it's even fading away. It's clear, and then…"

"Bam," I said, "fog."

"Pretty much," Brooke shrugged.

"Am I the only one who's noticed that it's really warm now, too?" Julius asked. I looked at Brooke, but she didn't seem to know what was going on.

"I don't know what's happening here," Brooke said, "but I don't think we have time to figure it out. We need to go before the rest of the monsters catch up."

"The what?" Aaron asked.

"And here we go," I muttered.

"The monsters," Julius explained. "There's a group of them that have been hanging around for a few months, probably 'cause they smelt you."

Aaron didn't seem to understand what that meant, but he didn't look happy about it.

Brooke sighed, obviously annoyed and getting impatient. "Okay, here's a quick explanation. The Greek gods and myths are all real. Monsters exist, the gods have serious power, and there are still heroes wandering around. You're a demigod, a child of one of the gods or goddesses. You have a certain scent that attracts monsters, and they want nothing more than to kill you. That's why we're getting you out of here. Krys and I are heroes, too, and Julius is a satyr who was sent out to find and protect other demigods. Now, can we please go before something decides to eat us?"

Aaron still looked confused, but Brooke didn't give him a chance to say anything. She grabbed his arm and started dragging him along. I pushed away from the tree and went after them.

"Wouldn't it be smarter if we stayed in this little pocket?" Julius asked nervously. "I mean, if something catches us, at least we can see it."

"And what happens if they circle us?" Brooke pointed out. "If we move, we can at least put some more distance between us and them."

She kept moving away, dragging the poor kid along behind her. I looked back at Julius to see if he was coming and saw the fog moving toward us. Julius must've seen something in my face. He turned around, sucked in a breath, and started backing away. I turned to follow Brooke before I got lost and found that the fog was actually moving away from her. I hesitated for a second. The fog thing was definitely weird. Julius pushed me along before I could think of anything else.

We ran through the woods. The fog kept drifting away from us and moving back once we were gone. More footsteps were filling the woods. Snarling and growling sounded around us, getting closer with each step. We were definitely being chased. It was only a matter of how long we'd be able to outrun them.

"Is there anything else on this freaking island?" Brooke asked.

"It's not an island," Julius said. Brooke growled at him. "There's a small dock to the north. I don't think it's too far."

Sure enough, the faint outline of a few buildings appeared in the distance. The fog was still clearing out around us, and the rest of it was getting thinner. I could make out the lake ahead of us.

"Head for the docks, I've got an idea," Brooke said.

We hit the docks after a minute. I almost went sliding across the wood. Ice had frozen over the boards of the dock. Julius cursed as he fell and slammed on the wood. His shoes flew off into the water. Aaron looked like his jaw was going to fall off at the sight of Julius's hooves. Brooke ran ahead and slid across the dock easily, stopping right in front of long, metal canoe. Brooke went to work untying the ropes holding it to the dock.

"You're stealing a canoe?" Julius burst out.

"Would you rather I steal a yacht?" Brooke snapped, gesturing to a group of large boats behind her.

Julius looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it. The fog had given way to a light mist, making it easier to see. I glanced back at the woods and almost wished the fog was still there.

At least twenty monsters were racing toward us. Most of them weren't too powerful, but I was shocked, almost afraid, at the fact that this many monsters were after Aaron.

"Brooke," I warned, not taking my eyes off the monsters, "you'd better hurry. We've got company."

Brooke must've looked up and seen the monsters, because she cursed in Greek and shouted, "Aaron, give Julius the knife. Guys, protect him."

I readied my sword and waved my hand at Aaron, trying to get him to back away. Julius came next to me with Brooke's knife and nodded to me. A hellhound broke free of the pack and barreled onto the dock. Its claws scraped against the ice. The monster slid across the dock, unable to get a grip. Julius stepped forward and sliced at its side. Monster dust went flying over the dock and spilled into the water. A harpy flew up and fired an arrow at me. I rolled to the side, pulled out my discus, and launched it. My shoes couldn't grip the ice, and I ended up tumbling headfirst into a rowboat. As embarrassing as it was, I was still satisfied when I heard the harpy's scream cut off.

I scrambled out of the boat. The monsters were on the dock. I barely had enough time to raise my sword and block a strike from a dracaenae. I sliced through her easily and moved onto some chicken-pony hybrid. I stabbed it and watched it disappear with a squawk. Something roared behind me. I turned to defend myself, but the monster was sucked away by water before I could see it. I caught Brooke's eye and nodded. Turning around, I started praying to whoever the god of knots was to help her untie the boat so we could get out of this place.

I raised my hand and flicked it at a giant snake that was slithering up behind Julius. Hissing, it flew to the side and slammed against the mast of a sailboat. A pale hag with fangs that I couldn't name launched itself at me. I raised my sword, but the demon knocked it away easily. The demon was too close for me to react with any powers. As the hag swung at me, I felt a sudden heat against my back, like I'd gone and had laid down on concrete in the middle of a summer afternoon. Just before the demon sliced me apart, a spear slammed into her shoulder and sent her whirling away in a mini dust storm.

Where had that come from? Nobody here had a spear. I looked around to see if a monster had aimed badly or if we actually had backup. Then Aaron ran forward and scooped up the spear. He somehow managed to not go flying across the dock. The ice was actually melting around his feet. Aaron fell into a defensive stance and held the spear across his body to block any blows. Well, there was no doubt he was a half-blood, but where'd he get the spear? And what was up with the melting ice? Then I got the idea: what if the disappearing fog had something to do with Aaron, too?

I didn't have time to think anymore. A small Hyperborean closed in on Aaron. It dodged Aaron's slow swipe and lifted him off the ground by his shirt.

"'Bout time I can get rid of you, scum," the giant scoffed.

Recognizing the voice as Bryan's, I grabbed my sword, raced forward and sliced at his leg. The monster dodged it, but slipped. He slammed into a speedboat and sank into the water, and Aaron crashed back to the dock.

"Should've guessed he'd be here," I grumbled.

I pulled Aaron to his feet and shoved the spear into his hands. I didn't know where he'd gotten it, but if it meant he could protect himself, I was ready to let it slide. I turned away and jabbed at another monster.

"Let's go!" Brooke screamed. A massive wave rose up and crashed down on the last few monsters.

I spun around and ran as fast as I could without falling on my face. Brooke had one foot in the canoe and was holding it steady. Julius dove in the boat. Aaron slammed on the brakes and almost fell right at the edge of the dock. I tackled him from behind. We landed in the canoe hard. I felt it move away from the dock and we started speeding across the lake. I looked back and saw the monsters dragging themselves out of the water. Brooke was staring at them, too. Satisfied, she turned around and dipped her hand into the frigid water, not even noticing that it was so cold that ice had formed against the shores. The boat picked up speed and raced into a small side river.

We rode the river for a while, gradually slowing down as we went. Every now and then, we'd hit a rock or somebody would almost have their head taken off by a tree branch, but it was a smooth ride overall. Brooke seemed to know exactly what she was doing, even though the water was less than a foot deep in some places. Still, Aaron didn't seem happy with the ride, even though Julius and I were fine. His hands were practically glued to the sides of the canoe and he was hunched over.. His knuckles were white and he was shaking. Maybe the cold had finally gotten to him, but something told me that he wasn't bugged by the cold.

After about two hours, Brooke finally beached the canoe. Aaron couldn't get out that boat fast enough. He almost fell face first into the snow scrambling out and darted away from the river. Giving Aaron weird looks, Julius and I climbed out. I made my way over to Aaron and heard Brooke talking to someone, probably a naiad given the bubbly voice, and asked her to take the canoe back.

I crouched next to Aaron. He was on his hands and knees, breathing hard and shaking still. His head was down, but I could see the side of his pale face. Maybe the whole Greek thing had gotten to him and he was having a panic attack.

"You alright?" I asked him. I put my hand on his shoulder, but pulled back with a shout. He was hot, and no, I don't mean that I'd suddenly gotten the impulse to date him. He felt like he was literally on fire.

I looked down and saw that the snow around us had completely melted. We were sitting in a puddle of mud, and even that was already hardening from the heat around us. Brooke came over with Julius.

"Dang, why is it so hot?" Julius asked. Brooke even started waving a hand in front of her face.

"Aaron, are you okay?" Brooke asked Aaron. She reached for him.

"No!" I screamed.

Brooke grabbed his arm anyway. Her expression went weird, like shock or confusion, but she didn't pull away. Steam actually started rising from between Brooke's fingers where she held Aaron. When Aaron didn't respond, Brooke moved so that she was in front of him.

"Aaron, are you okay?" she asked quietly. I couldn't remember ever hearing her speak so gently to anyone. Her eyes were filled with concern.

Finally, Aaron looked up at her. Brooke's face actually filled with fear and she fell back, scooting on her hands to get away from Aaron. He sat up and I got a good look at what had freaked out Brooke.

Aaron's sunglasses had fallen off at some point, and now I could see why he always wore them. He had the brightest eyes I'd ever seen. His eyes made mine actually look normal. Bits of light-red flashed in his yellow-orange eyes. My first impulse was that they were gold, but it wasn't that. I felt like I was actually staring at fire.

**Okay, I know that was a shorter chapter and that there wasn't much action, but I wanted to leave it here. So, who thinks they know Aaron's parent? Let's see if anyone's figured it out yet. Anyway, hope you enjoy, and please review. See ya.**


	5. A Not So Warm Welcoming

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

**Chapter 4: A Not So Warm Welcoming**

Julius cursed. I freaked out and tripped on a rock, falling flat on my butt. Brooke scooted back against a tree. Aaron dropped his head and closed his eyes. We all kept still and quiet for a few minutes. Finally, Aaron stood and started to walk into the woods. Brooke climbed to her feet and went after him. She grabbed his arm and spun him around.

"Where do you think you're going?" she snapped.

"Um…" Aaron dropped his eyes and fidgeted under Brooke's hard stare, even though he towered over her.

"Aaron."

"I just didn't think you wanted to be around a…a freak," he murmured.

"Aaron, we're half-bloods. We're all freaks," I grumbled.

"Well, that pretty much sums it up," Julius said sarcastically. I glared at him.

Brooke stared at Aaron expectantly for a few seconds before sighing and moving back toward the river. "Come on, we have to keep moving."

"We just took out all those monsters," I pointed out, scrambling back to my feet. "Shouldn't we be safer now?"

"Maybe," Brooke muttered, "but word will spread, especially if they find out that you and I are here."

Brooke crouched at the river bank and picked something up out of the snow. She turned around with Aaron's spear in her hands. A strange look crossed her face as she stared at the weapon.

"Think fast," she said quickly, and hurled the spear at Aaron.

Aaron reached up and plucked the spear out of the air as easily as I could've pulled a leaf off a tree. He used the momentum to whirl the spear around his head and spun around with it, finishing in an attack stance. I stared at him in shock. How the Hades had he done that? I glanced at Brooke and found a satisfied, maybe even surprised, look on her face.

"So, who trained you with that thing?" she asked, nodding at the spear and walking back towards us.

"Um, n-no one," Aaron stammered nervously, coming out of his stance.

"Really?" Brooke said, unconvinced. "I know you're a half-blood, but nobody is automatically that good, not without training."

Aaron shrugged. "Beginner's luck?"

Brooke let out a harsh laugh. "In my experience, there's no such thing as luck." She walked past Aaron, then stopped and turned around. "Mind telling me where you got it, at least?"

Aaron didn't say anything. He tightened his grip on the spear and looked down again. Brooke let out a breath and walked off into the forest, ending the conversation.

"Wow," Julius whispered to me as we moved after her. "I don't think I've ever seen her give up on something that easily." He gave Aaron a friendly push. "I think there is definitely something special about you." Julius trotted away from us and joined Brooke.

Aaron turned to me with a curious face. Of course, he wouldn't know about Brooke's usual stubbornness. Julius was right, though. Brooke never gave up that easily.

"She's normally persistent," I told him. "Count yourself lucky that she didn't push at all. But trust me, she'll find out what she wants to know eventually."

Aaron and I hung back from Julius and Brooke. Aaron kept quiet for a long time, just staring at the ground and clutching his spear.

"So, it's real?" he asked timidly. "All the myths and stories, the monsters and gods and heroes, they're all real?"

"Yeah," I assured him. "I wish I could say different, I really do, but I can't. All of the old myths, along with a lot of other things, are very much real."

He went quiet again, trying to let the news sink in. Finally, he spoke again. "Can you tell me about it?"

I was probably the last person that he should've been asking for an explanation, especially since the others had a lot more experience. But it felt good to have someone ask _me_ for help. Maybe I could get along with him for a while; at least until we could get to the camp and he could find out who I was.

I spent two hours explaining about half-bloods and the more recent history of the gods to Aaron. Brooke and Julius jumped in to help explain once in a while. Aaron didn't say much. He just nodded his head and kept his eyes down. I tried to get him to open up and explain about himself, but he refused to say anything. He would just close his eyes and sigh.

We stayed close to the river, following its twisting path through large clusters of trees and open farmland. Eventually, we came to a small, empty town. Snow had started falling at this point, and every sane person was inside.

Brooke managed to find a taxi parked on the edge of a barren road. She walked up and knocked on the passenger window. The window rolled down and revealed a young, blond woman wrapped in a jacket and two blankets.

"Y-Yes?" she shivered.

"How much will it cost to get us to New York?" Brooke asked.

_Who cares what it costs?_ I wanted to scream. _We're freezing here. Heck, I probably look like freaking Popsicle by now!_

The lady looked us over, and her eyes went wide. "Nothing."

"What?" Brooke asked, sounding confused.

"I'm sorry, but I don't feel comfortable taking four kids halfway across the state, especially since one of you has a baseball bat covered in…what is that exactly?" The lady pointed at the spear Aaron was still clutching. Brooke ignored the spear and tried to plead with lady.

"We have plenty of money," she promised. "Really, we do."

"No."

"But-."

"No." the lady rolled up the window really fast, turned the taxi on, and took off down the road.

Brooke slowly turned around to face us, and boy did she look pissed.

"A baseball bat?" Aaron said nervously.

"That's what she saw through the Mist," Brooke explained angrily. "And be glad that's what she saw. Otherwise, she probably would've called the police and we'd be getting arrested right now."

"Um, the Mist?" he asked.

"Yeah, that magical veil that changes what our world looks like to mortals." Aaron still looked lost. Brooke turned to me. "You did explain the Mist to him, right?"

"Um, I might've forgotten that part," I said quietly.

"You _forgot_? How could you forget to tell him about the Mist? Of all things to forget, you forgot the Mist?"

"Oh come on. You could have explained it yourself, you know."

"Well, you seemed quite content with explaining everything in our world all on your own."

"So it would've killed you to jump in once and say something? In that case, sharing all of that monster info must've been torture."

"You know what, I-."

"Guys!" Julius cried over us. "This is really not a good place to fight. Come on. Let's just find a way to get to camp."

Brooke and I glared at each other for another few seconds, waiting for the other to make a move. Brooke broke first. She turned to Aaron with an angry huff.

"Why haven't you put the spear away?" she snapped. Aaron didn't answer. "Okay, let me rephrase that. Do you know _how_ to put it away?"

"Um…" Aaron trailed. He kept opening and closing his mouth.

"Alright," Brooke sighed with annoyance, "why don't you tell me where you got it, or where it came from. Maybe we can find a way to make it disappear."

Aaron opened his mouth again, but closed it and kept quiet again. He dropped his eyes to the snow-covered sidewalk and clutched the spear closer to himself. Brooke let out an angry growl and turned away from him.

"Fine," she snarled, throwing her arms up and storming away, "then we'll just walk all the way to camp!"

"Well, that went well," Julius said, faking a smile. I gave him an annoyed look and started walking down the street.

"I'll go get her," I grumbled. Julius grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop.

"Um, maybe I should get her," he suggested. "I mean, what with you guys kind of…fighting at the moment, it might work better if I went after her instead of you."

And of course he was right. I huffed angrily and crossed my arms. Julius turned and trotted down the street after Brooke.

"So, you guys are fighting?" Aaron asked quietly. I sighed and let my shoulders drop.

"Yeah," I answered, "we're having some issues." I turned around and found a curious look on Aaron's face. "Last summer, Brooke and I went on a quest together. We accomplished what we were supposed to do, but it still went south. At the end, well let's just say that I pretty much screwed up. Now, Brooke hates me, along with Alex and probably the rest of the mix-bloods, not to mention all the other half-bloods. And I don't want to know what the gods think of me at the moment."

"What happened?"

I turned away from him and pursed my lips. "Don't ask. It doesn't concern you, and you're not connected in any way. It'll be better for you to just stay out of this mess, and let Brooke and I deal with it." He didn't say anything. I turned around again and saw that his spear was gone now. "Where's your spear?" He just shrugged at me. "Right, you don't talk." I turned back around and walked down the street to find Brooke and Julius.

I glanced down an alley and found Brooke leaning against a wall. Julius was in front of her and talking about who knew what. She wasn't really looking at him, though. And were those tears in her eyes? I called down the alley, deciding it'd be best to not sneak up on them.

"What?" Brooke grumbled as I walked down the alley.

"The spear's gone," I told her. She straightened up at that, and I could tell she was interested.

"How'd he do it?" she asked.

"I don't know," I answered, shrugging. "He did it when I wasn't looking."

Brooke huffed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Why do you care so much?" I asked. She didn't answer. "You know, if you really wanted to know, you could get it out of him. We all know you can find whatever info you want."

"So?"

"So why don't you?"

"Because, I…" Brooke dropped her eyes to the ground and confusion crossed her face.

"Wow," Julius gasped in shock, "for once, you don't have an answer."

"Shut up," Brooke snapped and shoved Julius away. She stormed back out to the main road.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"I don't know," Julius admitted, almost smiling. The look on his face said he had an idea, though.

Julius and I walked out of the alley. Brooke was right around the corner, not looking happy, and Aaron was next to her, staring at the ground again.

"Let's go," she said, and turned down the street.

It didn't take long for Brooke to find another taxi. We had to pay upfront for a ride all the way to Manhattan, but Brooke had a huge stash of money on her. The ride would take about four hours, which to me meant four hours of absolute boredom in a cramped taxi. Yep, that's exactly how I wanted to spend my afternoon.

* * *

By some miracle, we actually managed to make it to New York City without any monsters attacking us. Brooke thanked the driver and we got out. It had been less than three days, but I still couldn't believe how much I missed the hustle and bustle of my city. Aaron, on the other hand, seemed overwhelmed by the crowds and hugeness of the city, but Brooke found us another taxi in no time, which Aaron looked relieved about.

We rode through the city quietly. Aaron kept staring out the window at all of the skyscrapers and other massive buildings. When we passed the Empire State Building, though, Aaron dropped his gaze. A shiver went down my spine, and I knew something wasn't right. I glanced at Brooke and Julius, but they seemed fine. Maybe I was overreacting or something. _Or maybe I should trust my instincts_ I thought.

We drove for another two hours, which was a miserable time, by the way. Brooke stopped the driver about a half-mile from camp and we got out. Of course, he gave us a weird look, but he didn't say anything as we walked off.

The sun was almost gone by the time we got to the base of Half-Blood Hill. I sighed, happy that we'd made it without any problems.

"Let's go," Brooke said after pausing at the base of the hill, "before something comes after us."

We started climbing the hill when a familiar voice called out to us. Brooke and I whipped around instantly, but there was nobody behind us.

"That voice, it sounded like…," I trailed in disbelief.

"Nick," Brooke finished for me. I nodded in agreement and scanned the hill. There was nothing here.

"Watch out!" Julius suddenly shouted.

My legs were swept out from under me, and I fell flat on my back into the snow. Brooke was down in the next instant. I hadn't even seen what had brought us down. I rolled over and looked around. About ten feet up the hill was a Rottweiler.

"Isn't that the same dog that was at the park?" Brooke asked nervously.

"Yep," Julius squeaked.

"And how did it follow us all the way here?" I asked.

"Oh, it wasn't too hard," a high-pitched, girly voice said.

"Oh my gods, it talks!" Julius yelped. It took me a second to realize that he was talking about the dog.

"Of course I talk, you incompetent fool," the dog snapped, but in a deep man's voice this time.

"Maybe it escaped from a circus act," I suggested quietly. The dog let out an ear-splitting howl and reared up on its back legs, baring its teeth and hissing at me. "Whoa, easy! Down, Fido!"

"I am not a mangy circus mutt, you pathetic brat!" it screamed at me.

The dog seemed to grow right in front of us, until it was almost as big as a horse. Its body bulged and contorted until the Rottweiler had become a monster. It now had the sleek, graceful body of a stag with fur that gleamed in the light of the setting sun. The edge of each cloven hoof had been filed to a razor sharp point. A lion's head, mane, and tail sprouted from the beast's body. Its mouth held a sharp ridge of bone instead of teeth, but that didn't make it look any nicer.

"What the Hades is that?" I managed to get out.

Brooke staggered to her feet and stared at the monster. I watched Julius move in front of Aaron out of the corner of my eye, trying to get him as far from the monster as he could. I climbed to my feet shakily, and my hand drifted toward my bracelet on impulse.

The monster let out an annoyed growl and dropped back down on all fours. "Great, more insolent mortals who don't know me. How can I not be known? I was the scourge of Africa, and now I'm hardly even known!"

"Um, o-okay," Julius stuttered. "If you'd like to continue with your little identity crisis problem, go ahead. We're just going to climb this hill, and, uh, you know, leave."

Julius stepped forward, but the beast snapped at him and roared angrily.

"You will not leave," he screamed, "especially since you have dared to insult me! How dare you challenge me without even knowing my name!"

"Hey, dude," I jumped in, "we did not challenge you. You're the one who dragged your mangy hide all the way out here. We just wanted to get in the camp."

The monster roared again, and I swear I almost went deaf this time. "You worthless-!"

"Leukrokottas," Brooke said calmly. The monster instantly froze. He turned slowly until he was facing Brooke. He seemed to almost be in awe or something.

"You…you know me," the monster gasped in disbelief. "You know me, don't you?"

"Leukrokottas," Brooke repeated. A small, sly smile appeared on Brooke's face, the same one I'd learned to fear. "At least, I think you're him."

"Yes! Yes!" the monster exclaimed. "I'm Leukrokottas!"

"Uh, who?" I whispered to Brooke.

"A monster from the Greek African colonies," she explained, loud enough for the monster to hear. "Locals said that it originally came from the Ethiopian area. The stories say it was the fastest animal in the land, could imitate voices, and that no weapon of metal could defeat it."

"Yes!" Leukrokottas screeched again. "Oh, it is so wonderful that someone knows of my race. Do you know how many I've encountered and killed that did not know me? It is so horrible to not be known. And honestly, am I any less fearsome than Greece's own traditional monsters? I don't think so. If anything-."

"Of course," Brooke interrupted loudly, "those stories were never known to be true. The native Africans were never considered to be reliable with story-telling. And the stories that Greek travelers and immigrants told always seemed so farfetched that no one knew if they could be believed or not."

The monster's expression had gone from joy to burning anger. I didn't know what Brooke was trying to accomplish, but it looked like her plan was about to backfire.

"Actually," she continued, "there were many in Greece who believed that the beasts of Africa did exist, but they always thought the stories were exaggerated. You know how people get when they're scared or when they're looking for a bit of fame."

The monster was now shaking with rage. Fire practically burned in its dark eyes, and I was ready to bet that steam was about to come out of its ears. I wanted to tell Brooke to shut up, but I kept my mouth shut for some reason.

"In fact," Brooke kept saying with a sweet smile, "it was thought in Greece that the Leukrokottai race wasn't nearly as deadly and powerful as many of the stories said. Most people actually believed that the monsters weren't a threat at all, and that they might've even been benevolent."

The monster lost it then and launched itself at Brooke. The thing really was fast. I barely had time to blink and take half a step before it landed right where Brooke had been. She must've been expecting it though, because she rolled away and came up in front of the beast.

"I guess they were right," she taunted. "You really aren't that fast."

Leukrokottas howled and jumped again. Brooke ducked under its paws and slid in the snow. When she came up and turned to face it, I saw that the monster had actually ripped up the back of her jacket. Thankfully, I didn't see any blood coming from the scratches.

"Come on," Brooke challenged with a forced smile, "unless you really aren't a fighter."

"You are in way over your head, girl," Leukrokottas growled. Then, realization seemed to dawn on the monster. "I know you. You're the little Jackson girl." He turned to me and snarled. "And _you're_ the little traitor."

"Oh, so nice to be known," Brooke sneered.

"You know, I might just drag you two in instead," the monster snarled. "I could kill the goat and take the three of you brats. Kronos wants the boy anyway, and I could certainly make a profit off of you two."

"What?" Brooke asked, taken aback.

"Oh yes. See, there's a nice little bounty on your soul, Jackson, and an even higher one if you're brought in alive. And of course, Kronos can't even place a price on your capture, Lore."

"No, no, no, not that," Brooke said, shaking her head. "You said Kronos wants Aaron. Why?"

"I'm not permitted to say why, and I'd rather not have my essence ripped apart by Kronos for giving any details."

"Oh, so the creep is still using threats to keep control, huh?" I snapped.

"I'd watch your tongue, _princess_. You've got enough pain coming your way as is."

"Why does Kronos want him?" Brooke asked again, pulling her sword out and narrowing her eyes.

"Doesn't matter, just as long as he gets the kid. You, however, he just wants gone."

The monster jumped forward again, heading straight for Brooke. This time, I was ready. I threw out my hand and watched the beast slow down enough that I could actually see it. Brooke managed to duck out of the way. I heard Julius shout and the air instantly grew warmer. A spear sailed through the air and slammed into Leukrokottas. It didn't even leave a scratch in the monster's hide, but it did send him reeling. The beast howled in rage and ran forward. It went right past Brooke and I, and didn't even look at us. I turned just in time to see Julius get kicked up the hill and land face first in the snow. Leukrokottas skidded to a halt and reared up in front of Aaron. Aaron backed up and fell in surprise. The monster came back down over Aaron. I heard the snapping of bones and Aaron screamed in agony.

"Hey!" someone shouted in a deep voice.

I dared a glance and saw the small Hyperborean giant from Ithaca storming across the road. _Ugh_ I thought._ How many times do we have to fight this bozo?_

"I thought we weren't allowed to kill the brat," the giant called. "I had to spend four months around the punk. If either of us gets to kill him, it's me."

"We aren't!" Leukrokottas snapped back. "And stop complaining. I've known monsters that have had the misfortune of tracking half-bloods for over nine months. Why don't you make yourself useful and take care of your furry friend up there."

A vicious grin spread across the Hyperborean's face. He lifted the club in his hands and started moving faster toward us, or more likely, Julius.

"Stay put," Leukrokottas snarled and lowered his head until his mouth was barely an inch from Aaron's face. "I'll be back for you once I finish with your friends."

Leukrokottas turned away from Aaron and slowly stalked toward Brooke and me. I looked past the monster for a second to check on Aaron. The poor kid had curled into a ball and was cradling his left arm against his stomach. His face had been twisted into a grimace by pain, and he was shaking with fear. I tore my eyes from him when Brooke stepped next to me.

"Don't worry about him," she told me, even though her own voice was filled with concern. "If Kronos wants him, the monsters won't kill him. He'll be fine. Now, can you handle that thing?"

"Leukrokottas?" I asked. Brooke nodded. "Are you crazy? I don't have the kind of skills to challenge that thing."

"Maybe," Brooke shrugged, "but you're the only one who can slow it down to see it. And I need to get to Julius before the giant does."

"Why?"

"He's defenseless. He gave me my dagger back in that little town."

_Great_ I thought._ Just great. Now I get to fight the devil cat._ "Fine."

"Good. I'm going to make a run for it. You can't let him follow me, okay?"

I froze at her words. The last time I'd heard something exactly like that, it hadn't ended well. I came back to reality as Brooke shook my shoulder and started backing us away from the monster that was closing in.

"Got it," I managed to get out.

Brooke took a quick breath and darted up the hill. Leukrokottas lunged at Brooke. I threw out my hand and watched Leukrokottas come to a complete stop in midair for a moment before he slammed into the snow. I pulled out my sword and raced toward the monster. I swung at Leukrokottas before he could get to his feet, and immediately wished I hadn't. My sword clanged against the monster's hide and sent sparks flying. The impact rattled my teeth and made my entire arm go numb. I dropped my sword and backpedaled away from Leukrokottas. He shook his head angrily and rose to his feet.

"Not so tough now, are you?" he mocked, kicking my sword away.

Leukrokottas jumped at me again. My hand shot out, and Leukrokottas dropped back to the ground again with a roar. I tapped a charm on my bracelet, and my sword shot back toward me. It smashed into Leukrokottas and sent him spinning before disappearing into my bracelet. I didn't even think of pulling out either of my weapons. They couldn't stand against this thing. So how was I supposed to beat it? My powers weren't that good, especially under my control. Even if they were powerful, I couldn't use them for long.

Leukrokottas clambered to his feet again and lurched toward me. I managed to spin out of the way, but I still felt the air whoosh past me. The beast snarled at me. He was even frothing at the mouth now from his rage.

"Um, Brooke," I called.

"What?" she screamed back, followed by a massive roar from the giant.

"I think I pissed it off."

"Good!"

"How is that good?"

"Use it to your advantage!"

"How?"

Brooke didn't respond. Given the noise, she was probably too busy with her giant friend to bother with me.

"Use it as an advantage," I muttered to myself. _How?_ I thought. _How does making a monster boil with rage become an advantage?_

Leukrokottas howled and jumped for me. I dropped to the ground and the monster easily sailed over me. He slid in the snow, turned around, and barreled across the ground toward me. This time, I jumped up and ran at the monster. Caught by surprise, Leukrokottas slowed down a little. Taking the opening, I moved to the side and launched out with a kick. My foot connected with Leukrokottas's jaw, sending both of us to the ground. I scrambled up and spun to meet the raging monster. Leukrokottas moved for me again. I raised my hands to freeze the monster again, but he hit the ground and slid across the snow. Leukrokottas slammed into my legs, and I fell forward into the snow. I rolled over and found Leukrokottas already flying through the air, heading right for me. I didn't even have time to scream, let alone defend myself.

Suddenly, a blazing heat exploded from behind me. I watched as embers soared out around me, and Leukrokottas went up in flames in an instant. He fell at my feet in a burning, screaming heap. I scrambled away on my hands and knees and collapsed in the snow. I covered my ears and closed my eyes, trying to block out the monster's screaming. Even if Leukrokottas was a monster, I didn't want to watch him burn. I'd dreamt of enough moments in history to know that nothing and no one should have to suffer from burning. Where had the fire even come from?

"Krys?" I heard Julius call.

I looked up and watched the giant fall apart as ice with a final blow from Brooke's knife. She glanced back down the hill at me. I nodded back to them. Not hearing any more screaming, I turned and found nothing more than a pile of ashes where Leukrokottas had been. I looked past that and found Aaron. He was still shaking and looked horrified, but at least now he was on his knees.

I clambered to my feet and ran toward him. Close up, Aaron didn't look that bad, at least for the most part. He had a small bruise under his right eye, and a few half-healed scratches that probably came from the fight in Ithaca dotted his arms and face. His arm, on the other hand, didn't look good. A huge, ugly bruise made up of a variety of blues, yellows, purples, and greens in the shape of a hoof covered the middle of his left forearm. Blood was oozing from where the points of Leukrokottas's hoof had cut into his skin. The rest of his forearm was already swollen and starting to bruise, too. And even I could tell that his arm had been broken.

"Brooke," I called out uncertainly. I heard footsteps behind me, then Brooke and Julius were kneeling beside us.

"That looks nasty," Julius said, practically gagging.

"Well, isn't that comforting," Brooke muttered sarcastically. She grabbed Aaron's good arm and helped him to his feet. "Let's get out of here."

Julius scrambled over the snow and scooped up Aaron's spear. We climbed the hill slowly. Brooke stuck close to Aaron, but I hung back with Julius.

"Did you see where he got the spear?" I asked quietly.

"I was going to ask you that," he admitted. I dropped my head. "Did you see how the monster caught fire?"

"Nah, I was busy burying my head in the snow." Julius just sighed.

"Hey, they finally showed up," Brooke announced with sarcasm. "Could've used the help about ten minutes ago."

I looked up the hill and saw two armed demigods making their way toward us.

"Wait, did they actually hear that battle all the way in camp?" I asked.

"No, they're a patrol," Brooke grumbled.

"I thought the dragon was our guard," I pointed out, staring at the dragon lying underneath the big pine tree at the top of the hill. Then again, the dragon had been off playing in the woods when I'd come to camp. Maybe the dragon was getting ready to go on break.

"He is, but the camp has been on high alert for the last couple months," Brooke explained. "This is the guard for this side of the camp."

"Hey, you guys alright?" a muscly boy asked us.

"Oh yeah, just fine," Brooke snapped.

"W-We heard some roars," a small girl stuttered in a squeaky voice.

"What happened?" the boy continued.

"A fight," Brooke answered shortly. "The monsters are gone now, so you can go back to patrolling."

Brooke stormed past the pair and over the crest of the hill. Julius shrugged apologetically and pushed Aaron and I after Brooke.

We crossed the empty camp quickly. Given the time, everyone was probably in their cabins and waiting for the dinner bell. Brooke led us to the Big House, which had been decorated in Christmas lights and wreaths. The windows were lit up and looked inviting. Julius pulled the door open and waited for the three of us to go in.

Inside, it was warm and welcoming. A small pine tree sat in the corner of the main room and was decorated with glass pegasi, hippocampi, and symbols of the gods. Little glass ornament balls hung from ceiling. A small bowl of Santa Claus shaped candies sat on the table in the middle of the room. Splayed out on one of the dark couches and surrounded by chocolate wrappers was a chubby man in a leopard-print shirt and sweatpants.

"Where's Chiron?" Brooke asked impatiently.

"Shouldn't you be saying hello to your director first, girl?" Mr. D muttered from the couch. He didn't even bother to sit up and look at us.

"Hi, Dionysus," Brooke huffed. "How has your life been? I won't bother telling you about mine, since I know you don't care. And I won't bother to let you know that we have a new half-blood here with a broken arm who needs to see Chiron, or the fact that we just had a fight at the border."

"Thank you for sparing me the agony."

Brooke crossed her arms and growled deep in her throat. Finally, Dionysus sighed and called out for Chiron. Chiron came trotting in and smiled warmly when he saw us.

"Welcome back, Julius and Brooke," he greeted. "I am glad to see that you have come as well, Krystol. And this must be Mr. Freestone."

"And that's my cue to leave," Mr. D grumbled. He pushed himself off of the couch and ambled down one of the hallways.

Chiron watched Mr. D until he'd left and turned back to us. "You'll have to forgive Mr. D, Aaron. I'm afraid he is not exactly welcoming toward the new campers."

"Or any camper," Brooke scoffed.

Chiron gave Brooke a warning look and continued talking to Aaron. "Now, I am certain that you have many questions, child. Perhaps, though, we should bring you to the infirmary first. You certainly look as if you may need it."

Aaron glanced at us, probably looking for an answer. I could see the confusion in his eyes, and I honestly felt sorry for him. I remembered how I'd handled all of this, and I had to admit, Aaron was doing a lot better than I had.

"Chiron, did you want to see the rest of the reports?" Will Solace asked as he walked in with a bunch of papers. He froze and looked at the four of us. "What's going on here?"

"Will, this is our new camper, Aaron Freestone," Chiron said. "Aaron, I would like you to meet our camp's head medic, Will Solace."

"Hey, kid," Will smiled. The smile dropped as soon as he saw Aaron's arm. "How'd you manage that?"

"Um, monster," Aaron whispered.

Will nodded, as if that answered everything. "It looks bad, but I think we can get you fixed up pretty easily."

"Julius, Aaron, if you will, please come with us to the infirmary," Chiron said. "Brooke, Krystol, thank you for helping the boys. You may go to your cabin if you wish. Dinner will begin shortly."

"When you go back," Will started, "can you send Caleb down to the infirmary?"

"Why do you need Caleb?" Brooke asked.

"I'm testing the Apollo kids on their healing abilities, and since Caleb's so closely related, I figured that he may as well be given a test, too."

"Caleb?" Aaron said nervously.

"My son," Will said.

"Don't worry," Brooke reassured Aaron, "Caleb's good with the whole healing thing. You'll be fine."

Aaron nodded to her, but he still looked scared. Will led him and Julius back out of the Big House.

"He'll be okay, right?" I asked.

"Yes," Chiron promised. "Caleb is a very able healer, and Will will stay to make sure that Aaron is taken care of."

"Alright," I sighed, "if you say so."

"Any news?" Brooke asked after a few seconds.

Chiron closed his eyes and sighed, like he was trying to think of something to say that wouldn't result in a disaster.

"I'm afraid not, child," he told her.

Brooke pursed her lips and let out a breath. I couldn't tell if she was trying to hold back screams or tears. She ran a hand through her tangled hair and stood still for a few seconds. Finally, she closed her eyes, nodded to Chiron, and walked out. I gave Chiron a quick smile and darted out the door after Brooke.

I caught her easily, but I didn't say anything. Brooke didn't exactly look like she was in the talking mood anyway. We made our way to the mix-blood cabin quietly. The sun was gone by the time we got there. Not seeing the cabin steps, I tripped and slammed into the hard wood porch. Brooke glanced down at me and offered a hand. I took it and thanked her, but she didn't say anything. Brooke only grabbed the doorknob and walked in.

Inside the cabin, it was about as happy as a funeral. Alex was sitting on the floor, leaning back against the trunk at the foot of his bunk. He had a gloomy look on his face, and the normal light in his eyes was gone. Caleb was hanging upside down from the top bed of Alex's bunk and trying to cheer the kid up. His face was slightly red and his hair was messy, but he certainly looked better than Alex. Other than the two boys, the cabin held no signs of life. Most of the bunks were bare, except for mattresses and sheets. The walls didn't have any of the pictures and posters I'd grown used to last summer. I even missed the candy wrappers and chip bags that were usually hidden under the beds. The only things that proved somebody lived here were the boys' and Brooke's beds. I glanced at my bunk and actually found a rolled up sleeping bag and a pillow sitting on top of the bed. Another sleeping bag and a pillow, along with some fresh clothes, had been pushed up against the back wall, probably for Aaron if he wasn't claimed tonight.

"Hey," Caleb greeted. Brooke walked past him without a word and sat on her bed. "Nice to see you, too, glum pants. How's your life been the last few days?"

Brooke glanced at Caleb with an annoyed look. "Hi."

"Whoa, Brooke, don't bite my head off," Caleb joked. When he didn't get a reaction, he sighed and sat upright. "How's it going, Krys?"

"Alright I guess," I said, shrugging. "We managed to not get killed."

"That's always a good thing," he smiled.

"Yeah," I replied awkwardly.

"Weren't you guys bringing in a new kid?" he asked.

"Yeah, he's up at the infirmary."

"Ouch, in the infirmary before you even start? That always sucks. Is he okay?"

"Broken arm," Brooke muttered. "Your dad wants you up there. He said something about giving you a test."

"Ugh, that test thing?" Caleb groaned. "Man, some of the Apollo guys got, like, dislocated fingers, twisted ankles, minor sword cuts, and cases of dehydration or something, but I get a broken arm? Come on, that is just messed up."

"Get over it and go take care of the kid," Alex grumbled.

"Dang, you guys are snappy tonight," Caleb complained.

Caleb jumped off the bed, grabbed a sweatshirt off of his own, and moved for the door. Brooke jumped up and rushed after him.

"Um, Chiron said we could stay here until dinner," I reminded Brooke nervously.

"I know," she replied.

"Then where are you going?"

"To the infirmary."

"Why?"

"Because I want to, okay Krys! Gods, is it that big of a deal?"

She yanked open the door and stormed out into the night. I wanted to go after her with some stupid comment that probably would've gotten me beaten to a pulp, but Caleb gave me a warning look that said to let it go. Huffing angrily, I plopped down on my bed and crossed my arms. I tried to act like a grump (maybe to fit in with the cabin's atmosphere), but it was hard to hold an angry face when a little ball of paper hit me on the forehead. I looked up and caught Caleb flashing a bright smile at me. He mouthed a few words to me, _cheer up_, and walked out into the cold.

I sighed again and let go of the anger. Looking back up, I saw Alex climb onto his top bunk and bury his face in his pillow. I lowered my gaze to the bed beneath his, which was the only spot in the room with any sign of real life: Nick's bed. At the end of last summer, no one in the cabin had wanted to pack up Nick's things. It was almost like we'd all been hoping that he had just been playing around again and would come back at any moment, except that he didn't. His bright blue sleeping bag was still unrolled on the mattress, and a thin layer of dust now covered it. I caught sight of a few candy bar wrappers poking out of his pillowcase. Nick's pictures were still taped to the bed posts and the wall: one of Brooke and Monica racing up the rock wall; another of Alex standing in the middle of a dead strawberry field with a few angry half-bloods and satyrs in the background; one of Nick, Alex, and Caleb in a semicircle with mischievous grins; another showed Zach and Charlotte wrestling; there was even one of me trying to figure out how to use a bow at the archery range.

I closed my eyes and turned away. If I kept looking at those pictures, I'd end up in tears. Trying to distract myself, I set to making my bed, which lasted a whole five minutes. After that, I laid out on my bed and tried to tell myself stories of far-away kingdoms with beautiful princesses, horrid dragons, and shining knights in armor like my mom used to do when I was little, but the stories ended up becoming the Greek myths I knew too well. Finally, I gave up and just stared at a crack between the floorboards until a conch horn was blown for dinner.

Dinner didn't exactly register in my mind. I mostly just grabbed whatever food was passed my way, but I ended up throwing half of it into the fire for the gods. Alex ate slowly, almost like his mind had given up and his body was just moving mechanically. Brooke showed up halfway through dinner, but she didn't really eat. All she did was turn her fork in her mashed potatoes and rolled her peas around her plate. When the campers were dismissed for the bonfire, I lost track of both of them.

* * *

At the fire, I sat alone under my cabin's banner. Brooke and Alex must have ditched or something, and I had assumed that Caleb was still at the infirmary. I stared at the Apollo campers dancing around the fire and singing. Most people were singing in dull tones or were late with the words. The bonfire was only seven feet high or so and was a deep red-and-black color. After an hour of trying to act interested, I finally got some company. Caleb slid into the spot next to me and gave me a playful shove.

"Well, don't you look happy tonight," he teased. I gave him a weak smile and looked back at the fire. "Wow, you are all in horrible moods tonight, aren't you?"

"Sorry," I apologized. "It's been a rough couple of days. And Brooke and I have been fighting and all."

"Ah, I see," he nodded. "Yeah, she was kind of stressed before she left, too. Why are you fighting exactly?"

I gave him a slightly annoyed look. "Really, do you have to ask?"

"Yeah, I guess that was a bit obvious, huh?"

I looked down at my lap and kept quiet for a minute. "So, is Aaron okay?"

"Oh yeah, he's fine. Well, at least I think he is."

"You _think_?"

"Chill, I'm sure he's fine. I mean, Dad was there, and he would've stepped in if I'd messed up."

"How's he now?"

"Actually, Dad and Chiron were talking about introducing him to the camp tonight, which also supports the fact that I think he's fine."

"If you say so. Has he been claimed?"

"Unless he got claimed at the Big House, or at some point between the infirmary and here, then I don't think so."

"Hm… Do you think his parent will claim him here, you know, to make a show or something?"

"Let's hope. We don't want to wait as long as we did with you, do we?" Any hope of smile crossing my face melted then. "Um, sorry, bad topic, huh?"

"Just a little."

Caleb and I were silent for a while. We watched the Apollo kids jump around some more and try to cheer up the campers. Man, what was with these guys related to Apollo? Was it just their job to spread joy and happiness or something? Finally, Chiron came up to the fire and raised a hand for silence.

"What a wonderful campfire tonight," Chiron congratulated the Apollo kids, although his words sounded a bit forced. "Now, I would like to introduce our newest camper. Please welcome Aaron Freestone."

Aaron stepped into the light of the fire nervously. He had a new pair of sunglasses on, and the only thing that hinted that he'd been in a fight was the bandage wrapped around his arm from his wrist to his elbow. He was dressed in a new tee-shirt and shorts that actually fit him. The fire threw wild shadows across his face, making him look rugged and powerful, like some kind of ancient Greek general. I could only imagine how the fire would've lit up his eyes if he hadn't been wearing the glasses.

And I was glad that I wasn't the only one in at least some shock. The campers were completely silent, which I couldn't remember ever experiencing. The fire grew slightly brighter and leaped another foot into the air with the campers' interests. Somebody actually whistled after a few moments.

"Is he claimed?" somebody called out.

Chiron gazed out at the expectant faces around him. He glanced back at Aaron for a few seconds, and his shoulders dropped when nothing happened.

"Aaron, you will be staying in the mix-blood cabin tonight," Chiron sighed. He waved his hand toward Caleb and me. "Will you please join your cabin mates?"

Aaron looked out over the crowd, trying to figure out where to go. Even when he was totally lost, he still seemed to hold the camp's complete attention.

Finally, I jumped up and waved. "Aaron, over here!"

My outburst broke the camp's silence. Kids started shuffling in their seats, and I caught a few scowls aimed at me along with some grumbling. Aaron either didn't notice anything or just ignored the campers. He cracked a small grin and quickly made his way over to us.

"You're both in this cabin?" he whispered.

"Yep," Aaron said.

"By default," I grumbled. A confused look crossed Aaron's face, but he didn't say anything else.

Chiron started rattling off announcements for the camp: canoe races the next day; a volleyball tournament this weekend; a combat challenge between the Athena and Ares cabins on Tuesday; a Capture the Flag game on Monday. Finally, Chiron sent us all back to the cabins.

"So," Caleb started, "why exactly are you walking around in shorts and a tee-shirt in the dead of winter and wearing sunglasses at night?"

Aaron gave Caleb a small smile, but he didn't say anything.

"We've asked him that, too," I told Caleb. "He just says he's not cold."

"You do realize it's, like, twenty degrees out, right?"

"I've pointed that out to him before, too. He's still not cold."

Caleb stared at Aaron strangely, then shook his head and chuckled. "You're crazy, kid. No wonder you're a half-blood."

We walked into the cabin quietly, not sure if the other two were back yet. Alex was asleep on his bunk. His arm hung over the edge of the bed, and his face was buried in his pillow again. Brooke was sitting on her bed and seemed to have zoned out. She was twirling something around in her hands slowly; it looked like a necklace. She glanced up when the door slammed closed behind us.

"Unclaimed?" Brooke asked.

Caleb nodded and moved toward his bed. Brooke sighed and laid down across her sleeping bag, turning around so that she was staring at the wall. Aaron looked to me with a questioning face.

"Um, here's some stuff that was brought down for you," I told him, pointing at the bedroll and pillow against the wall. "There are also some clothes, but I don't know if they'll fit."

I showed him which beds were empty before crawling onto my own. I was so tired that I didn't even bother to change out of my filthy clothes. I was almost asleep when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I groaned and rolled over to find Aaron looking down at me.

"Um…" he trailed. He looked up at the bed over mine.

"If you want it, I don't care," I yawned.

Aaron grinned at me with a smile that was bright enough to rival Caleb's. He tossed his sleeping bag up onto the bed and climbed up. I rolled over and pulled my sleeping bag up over my head. I slowly drifted off into a restless sleep. The last thing I remembered was the feeling that things were about to get a lot more complicated.

**And there's another one. Sorry it took a while. My mind went on writer's block. So, some of you are kind of close to Aaron's parent. Let's see if anyone else can guess it before I reveal it (which will be very soon, people). So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Read and review. See ya.**


	6. The Wonderful Art of Finding Parents

**Chapter 5: The Wonderful Art of Finding Parents**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

**A/N: Crappy chapter name, I know. Get over it. I'm not good with chapter names. My friends goves me most of them.**

I was back in a maze that was now a bit too familiar. A dark hallway stretched out in front of me, barely lit by dim torches. I moved forward, going through the same routine. At the end of the hall, I turned left. I knew I'd turn right in fifteen steps, left in twelve more, another left after seven steps. I'd started mapping this place out after I'd come here my third time. I passed a few new monsters, but they were the only thing that had changed. Everything else was still the same. I made my final turn and walked down a long hallway. I tried to count out the steps down this hall, but I couldn't focus. Something felt different, and different was bad in this place. I could see the opening that I would take a few steps ahead. The opening would lead me into a large, empty room with a high ceiling. Suddenly, noise erupted from the room, a mix of defiant human screams and the guttural grunting and roaring of a monster. I came to the opening and turned the corner, desperate to see what had happened. I looked into the room and was met by vicious flames that leaped at me instantly.

* * *

My eyes snapped open and I sat bolt upright. My breath was coming in short gasps and I was sweating, but I was fine otherwise, still safe in my warm bed at camp. I glanced around the cabin. Caleb was still sleeping. Half of his sleeping bag had fallen to the floor, and the other half was barely staying on the bed. Brooke was curled into a tight ball on her bed, still facing the wall. Her sleeping bag, the sheets under it, and her pillow were all in a jumbled pile under her, and she kept twitching as if she were having a dream. I looked up and found Alex with his pillow covering his head and his leg hanging off the bed. I realized it wasn't even six o'clock yet. No wonder they were all asleep still.

I didn't want to go back to bed, so I pulled my sweater over my head and walked to the door. I opened it slowly, trying to keep it from squeaking, walked out, and closed the door again. I turned and found the last person I'd been expecting to see. Aaron was sitting on the bottom step of the cabin, staring off at the distance.

"Um, hey," I said quietly.

Aaron jumped and turned quickly. He smiled when he saw me and turned back to face the horizon. "Hey."

"Why are you out here this early, and still in shorts?"

"Sunrise," he answered, waving his hand at the sky. I looked out and saw the barest hints of color in the distance.

"You came out here to watch the sunrise? Why?"

"I always watch sunrises and sunsets. They're amazing. They're my favorite times of the day."

"You know, I think that's the most you've ever said to me at a time."

Aaron laughed at me. "I'm not mute. I just never have much to say. You want to watch, too?"

I shrugged and sat down next to him. Aaron didn't have his glasses on, and the first golden rays of the sun were lighting his eyes up.

"I feel closer to him," Aaron said suddenly.

"What?" I asked, completely confused.

"My dad. When I watch the sun, I feel closer to him."

"So, your father is your immortal parent?" Aaron nodded to me. _Apollo?_ I thought. Maybe; I mean, he did have the blond hair that a lot of the Apollo kids had. He had that bright smile, too. But he just didn't strike me as an Apollo kid.

"Is there anything else that attaches you to your dad?" I asked. Maybe I was finally getting somewhere with this kid.

Aaron didn't answer. I saw his hand move to his left wrist and rub at it. Between his fingers, I managed to catch sight of a worn leather bracelet, but I couldn't see what was on it. I sighed, figuring that I'd at least gotten some info from him, and turned back to the sunrise. It was definitely one of the prettiest that I'd seen in a long time.

Around 6:30, Caleb came out and found us. He gave us a weird look before saying we had to get dressed for breakfast. I took a shower and changed into a pair of clothes I'd packed for the trip to Ithaca. When I came out, everyone was dressed and the cabin was spotless. Brooke was sitting on the edge of her bed, Alex was leaning against the wall by the door, and Caleb was wrapping Aaron's arm in a fresh bandage. The conch horn blew after a few minutes, and we all strode down to the mess hall in silence.

* * *

Caleb, Aaron, and I sat on the dock together, watching all of the other cabins get creamed by the Poseidon kids in the canoe races. Brooke and Alex had disappeared again. I would've gone looking for them, but Caleb told me that they always did this and that I didn't have to worry.

"Where are the others?" I asked Caleb.

"Zach's off at his grandparents' house for Christmas," he explained. "Charlotte and her family are on a camping trip for two weeks. Monica's supposed to be here today at some time."

"Oh," I said. I probably should've figured that some of the kids would actually spend their winter break outside of camp. I glanced over at Aaron and found another confused expression. "They're other kids in the mix-blood cabin. You'll like Monica. She's a sweetheart."

Shouting started up behind us. I looked back and found two kids getting in a fight, probably because of some stupid rivalry.

"I'll be back," Caleb sighed as he climbed to his feet. "I have to go play medic." Caleb jogged off toward the two, who were now throwing punches and kicks.

"So, what do you think of camp so far?" I asked Aaron.

He shrugged and pulled his legs away from the edge of the dock. "Not bad. Everyone I've met is nice."

"That's good."

We fell into an awkward silence for a few minutes before Aaron broke the silence. "Are you a mix-blood, too?"

I felt my jaw tighten on impulse. "No."

"Are you unclaimed, then?"

"No."

"Then…"

"Just drop it. My parentage isn't important."

If it had been anyone other than Aaron, I would've expected another question. Thankfully, he just let it go. I stared out over the lake and watched the Poseidon cabin win another race. Across the lake, I caught sight of Brooke, and she was staring right at us. What was she doing? _Probably analyzing Aaron again_ I thought. Then another thought hit me.

"Hey, do you want to try canoeing?" I asked Aaron.

"Uh…" Aaron paled almost instantly. "I…I don't know about this one."

"Why don't you just try?" I suggested, getting to my feet. I grabbed Aaron's good arm and pulled him up and over to the closest canoe. "Just try it. I've done it. It's actually kind of fun."

Aaron was as stiff as a board. I crouched down to grab the canoe and pulled it right next to the dock. I waved my hand at the canoe, offering to hold it steady so Aaron could climb in. I grabbed the bottom of Aaron's shorts and pulled him closer to the boat. Finally, Aaron moved toward the canoe. He put one foot in gingerly and reached out to grab the edge of the canoe. Suddenly, the boat was yanked away from dock. Aaron slipped, slammed his head on the dock, and fell into the lake. I was pulled off the dock with boat, barely managing to hang on to the side. The freezing water covered me up to my chest. I let out a small scream and scrambled into the canoe. The water next to the dock churned as Aaron broke the surface and desperately reached for the dock. He managed to pull himself out of the lake and started spitting out water. I heard giggling, and I looked under the dock and found two naiads laughing like crazy.

"You idiots!" I exploded. "What the Hades was that for?"

"Oh please, you both needed to lighten up a bit," one of the girls smiled.

"So you tried to help by drowning us?" I jumped back into the frigid water and swam back to the dock.

"We weren't trying to drown you?" the other girl insisted. "It was supposed to be funny."

"Oh yeah, you guys are a real bunch of comedians. You should drag kids into the lake more often. Get lost, brats."

A water spout shot out of the lake and nailed me right on the face.

"You don't tell us what to do," the first girl sneered.

"Yeah, little _princess_," the other mocked. "This is our lake."

"Hey!" someone shouted. I turned and saw Caleb running across the dock. "What are you nymphs doing?"

"Just playing," one of them said innocently.

"More like giving out hypothermia. Get out of here. And don't even try sassing me. I've got friends you do not want to mess with."

The nymphs looked like they were ready to drag Caleb in, too, but decided against it and swam off.

"You guys alright?" Caleb asked.

"C-Cold," I stuttered. "I'm f-f-fine, though."

"I'll get you a towel. What about you, Aaron? Are you alright, kid?"

Aaron didn't respond. He was on his hands and knees, still coughing up water. He was pale and soaked from head to toe. Caleb and I helped him sit up straight. His lips were already blue, and blood was running down the side of his face from where he'd hit the dock. And he was actually shivering for once.

Caleb pulled a mini medic kit out of his jacket pocket and went to work on Aaron's head.

"Dang, what are you, injury prone?" Caleb joked. "I'll bet you're regretting the shorts and tee-shirt now." Aaron actually laughed a little. "It doesn't look too bad. You must've just barely hit the dock. Here, drink this." Caleb pulled out a little vial of nectar and gave it to Aaron. Aaron's face lit up when he drank it, and the wound faded away in seconds.

"Thanks, man," Aaron gasped.

"Don't mention it. Now, let's find some towels before you two turn into snowmen."

Caleb helped both of us to our feet and led us away from the dock. I glanced across the lake at Brooke, but she had disappeared already.

* * *

After drying off, Caleb, Aaron, and I made our way to the chariot area. A few chariots were circling the track for practice, but it was mostly bare. Aaron watched the chariots with a bit of curiosity, but he didn't seem overly interested. I walked away from him with Caleb to talk.

"What do you think of him so far?" I asked Caleb.

"He's a nice guy," Caleb answered. "He's quieter today than last night."

"He seems as quiet out here as he was last night to me."

"Nah, I mean in the infirmary. He wasn't really talkative in there, but he would at least hold a conversation with me."

"Really? He's hardly said anything to Brooke and me."

"He doesn't know what to say to Brooke, and you kind of intimidate him."

"What? Why would I intimidate him? How do you even know that?"

"He told me last night. I asked him what he thought about the people he'd met. He said he can't think of anything to say to Brooke, at least not anything intelligent enough for her. And he said that you kind of scare him."

"_I_ scare him? What are you talking about? If anything, Brooke should scare him."

"Well, she does, a little. But not like you do. He said he can feel the power around you. He can feel it around Brooke, but she doesn't scare him the same way you do."

"Well, that's a new one. I thought Brooke freaked out most people on sight."

Caleb shrugged without answering.

"Any ideas about his dad?" I asked.

"His dad's the immortal?"

"That's what he told me this morning."

"Hm, you and I just might get this kid to open up. Maybe we can get Brooke to wear a paper bag on her head and then Aaron will finally talk to her, too." I laughed as the image of Brooke walking around camp with a bag on her head filled my mind. "What do you know? You are still capable of laughing."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I joked, giving Caleb a light shove. "So, back to his dad."

"I don't know. He's not really big and tough like the Ares guys. Honestly, he doesn't strike me as an Apollo kid either. Obviously not Poseidon, and I think we can cast out Zeus and Hades, too. Dionysus would've claimed him already if he were Aaron's father. We could take him down to the forges to see if he fits with the Hephaestus kids, but I doubt it. Hermes is one of the most reliable of the gods to claim their kids immediately, so I think we can toss him out of the lineup, too."

"Maybe he's a minor gods' kid," I suggested, even though I doubted the idea myself.

"I don't think so. He doesn't seem to have any draws to anything dealing with death, so that pretty much counts out Thanatos. He was up way too early to be Hypnos's kid. I honestly doubt he's Morpheus's son."

"Alright, I get it. You don't know."

"Don't start snapping at me," he grinned. "You're the one who asked."

"Whatever. I think he's lost interest. Where do we take him next?"

"I don't know, ask him."

"Aaron," I called out. Aaron looked up at me. "Do you want to go somewhere else?"

Aaron shrugged and started walking toward us. Watching him walk over, I realized that what Caleb had said about Aaron made sense. You could just tell the kid wasn't related to any of the Olympian gods, and none of the minor deities made sense either. Then whose kid was he? An idea started to form in my head, but I immediately pushed it away. I didn't want _that_ thought in my head all day. Aaron was a half-blood, a demigod. His parent would claim him soon enough. Then he'd hear about me and everything from last summer and that would be the end to any friendship we might have had. It would be as simple as that.

"Alright man," Caleb grinned, "got any ideas where you want to go?"

"Um, there was one spot," Aaron mumbled.

"Let's hear it."

"I…I think it was the lava wall or something like that."

"You mean the giant rock face that drops boulders, pours lava, and slams into another wall?" I asked. Aaron nodded.

"The rock wall," Caleb said, shaking his head and smiling again. "Part of me honestly thinks you have some sort of death wish."

"Maybe he does," a girl said. I turned and found Brooke standing behind us with her arms folded over her chest.

"How long have you been there?" I asked.

Brooke shrugged. "Long enough. So, are we going to the rock wall?"

"_We_?"

"Yeah, unless you don't want me around?"

"No!" Aaron jumped in immediately. "I…I mean…uh…well…um…hi."

Brooke gave Aaron a strange, but amused, look. "I think that's the most you've ever said to me."

Aaron blushed and looked down. Caleb dropped and shook his head, trying to suppress a smile.

"Alright," Caleb said, almost laughing, "let's hit the wall."

Throughout the entire walk to the wall, Aaron kept his head down, but I could see him stealing little glances at Brooke. _Hm, interesting_ I thought.

At the wall, one of the cabin counselors was instructing a small group of kids.

"Those of you who want to take a risk," the counselor said as we joined the group, "can go ahead and climb up now. Please try not to fall off or get smashed, because that would require a lot of paperwork that I really don't want to deal with. For those of you who'd rather not break your necks come over here and we'll get you hooked up to some harnesses."

A few kids walked off toward the wall immediately. The rest followed the counselor to a small shed. I moved to follow the counselor, but I caught Aaron turning toward the rock wall out of the corner of my eye. I opened my mouth to stop him, but Brooke grabbed my shoulder and shook her head.

"Are you crazy?" I whispered angrily. "He's going to get himself killed."

"Just let him go," Brooke insisted. "I want to see what happens."

"All you're going to see is a kid going splat on the ground."

Brooke gave me an annoyed look before turning to Caleb. Caleb glanced at Aaron, who was at the base of the wall, and nodded to Brooke. Caleb turned away from us and made his way over to the wall.

"He'll keep an eye out for Aaron," Brooke promised. She turned and went to the shed, coming back with a harness. She handed the harness to me. "Here, go ahead and climb up with Caleb."

"Aren't you climbing?"

Brooke shook her head and looked at the wall. "I'm watching."

"Doesn't Caleb need a harness? And what about Aaron?"

"Caleb has made it up the wall countless times without a harness easily. You have to remember, he's been here for four summers now. He's had plenty of training. And if Aaron walked over to that wall without hesitating, I want to see what he can do."

"Besides end up as a stain on the camp's grass?" I added sarcastically. Brooke gave me another look and walked away.

I sighed and strapped the harness on. I walked over and met Caleb at the base of the wall. Looking up, I found Aaron already a third of the way up the wall, and he seemed to be fine, even with a messed up arm.

"This kid is crazy," Caleb sighed, but I could tell he was impressed.

"Brooke told me to climb the wall with you," I told him. Caleb blushed instantly and looked away from me.

"She probably wants us to make sure he's okay," I added quickly. Caleb nodded and glanced back at me.

"Why are you wearing a harness?" he asked.

"Um, so I don't fall. You know, I'm not really interested in dying just yet."

"Oh come on," he laughed. "I'll bet you ten bucks you can make it without that harness."

"And what if I don't make it?"

"Well, considering that you'll most likely be dead, I don't think we really need to address that idea." Caleb moved toward the wall and started climbing.

"Thanks!" I shouted after him.

I sized up the wall anxiously. I'd only gone up the wall twice before, and never without a harness. He was crazy to tell me to climb without a harness. A part of me, though, actually wanted to take the bet. If I fell, I could always use my powers to slow down the fall, maybe. I pulled off the harness and let it drop into the snow. I grabbed the wall and started climbing, deciding to take Caleb up on his bet. I could always use ten more bucks, and part of me just wanted to make Caleb eat his own words.

I managed to actually get past the first half without dying, and I'd only taken a glancing hit from a rock once. I looked up the wall. Some of the kids that had decided to climb without harnesses were already coming back down. At the top, I caught sight of Caleb and, to my surprise, Aaron. Seeing a newbie at the top and Caleb's challenging grin staring down at me, I gritted my teeth and pulled myself up the face of the wall.

I was ten feet from the top when I looked up again. Caleb and Aaron were both smiling down at me.

"You both…suck," I got out.

"Get over it," Caleb said. "Now finish up, or you don't get ten bucks."

"Oh, I'm getting those ten bucks," I promised, "even if I have to pry it out of your cold, dead hands."

"Since when did I die?" Caleb joked.

"Expression," I growled, knowing he was just trying to mess with me.

My hand finally gripped the top of the wall, and I hauled myself over the edge and onto the flat top. I was breathing hard and sweating. My hands had scratches all over them from gripping the rocks so hard, and my sweater had a few new holes in it. Still, I stood up triumphantly and held my hand out to Caleb.

"Pay up," I ordered.

At that moment, the two walls clashed together, and I lost my balance. My foot slipped and I fell over the edge. I scream escaped my lips as a hand grabbed hold of mine. I looked up and found Caleb leaning over the edge and holding onto me.

"Sometimes I think you have a death wish, too," Caleb groaned as he hauled me back to the top of the wall.

"Thanks," I gasped, staring down at the ground.

"Are you okay?" Aaron asked.

I looked up and actually found his sunglasses off. Concern filled his fiery eyes, and he had tensed up.

"Dude, eyes," Caleb whispered, picking up the glasses and shoving them into Aaron's hand.

Aaron sucked in a breath and crammed the glasses back on his face. Caleb looked around anxiously.

"Wait, you know about…?" I trailed off.

"Yeah," Caleb muttered. "I personally think they're cool, but I've got agree with Aaron. They'd definitely freak people out."

I stared at both of them in disbelief. "Okay, did you guys just become, like, best friends or something in that infirmary?"

The two boys just stared at each other and shrugged. I groaned and buried my head in my hands.

"What?" Caleb asked.

"You remind me of _them_," I grumbled.

"Who's 'them' exactly?"

"Well, who do you think Sherlock?" I snapped.

I swung myself back over the edge to climb down the wall. I could feel the tears springing up in my eyes, and I didn't want them to see me cry. A hand reached out and latched onto my wrist. I jerked my head back up and found Caleb holding onto me. Hurt was shining in his brown eyes.

"Krys," he breathed out.

"Let go, Caleb," I growled.

"Krys, I-."

"Let go!"

A pained look crossed his face. His shoulders sagged and he closed his eyes. Finally, almost regretfully, he let go. I looked away quickly and started climbing as fast as I could down the wall. Twenty feet from the bottom, I realized that everyone was watching me. _Well_ I thought_ may as well give them something to watch._

Impulsively, I pushed myself off of the wall. A few feet from the ground, I felt power surge through my body, and I immediately slowed down. I hit the ground. My knees collapsed, and I almost fell flat on my face. I scrambled to my feet again and moved away from the wall, keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact. What had I just done?

"Krys," Brooke said, reaching out as I walked by.

"Leave me alone," I hissed under my breath. I pushed past her and took off running across the camp.

A lot of the campers looked at me strangely as I ran past them. I didn't care what they thought, though. I just wanted to get away.

I came up to my cabin. I'd been so desperate to escape that I hadn't noticed someone else running through the camp. We slammed into each other and fell to the ground. Grunting in pain, I rolled over and saw Alex sitting up slowly. Seeing me, Alex immediately perked up.

"Krys!" he exclaimed. "He's alive!"

"What?" I asked.

The kid was almost hysterical. His eyes were wide and wild. His hair was a mess. He was still breathing hard and he was sweaty from running.

"Nick!" he managed to get out. "Nick's still alive!"

I stared at him in shock. How did he know that? As far as I knew, Rachel and I were the only ones in camp who knew for a fact that Nick was alive. Then again, maybe Rachel had told somebody else and the news had spread.

"H-How do you know?" I stuttered.

"I was eavesdropping at the Big House."

"You did what? How?"

"I'm related to Hades. It wasn't hard. Anyway, my dad just got back from the Underworld. Apparently, even though kids haven't been allowed to go looking, the adults have been searching everywhere since Nick disappeared. They can't find a trace of him!" He almost smiled at the last part.

"How is that a good thing?"

"Because, it's not that _he_ himself can't be found. It's the fact that they can't find anything at all from him."

"I'm still lost."

"Krys, my dad came back from the _Underworld_ and said there weren't any signs of him. The only part of him that would belong in the Underworld is his soul. My dad searched the entire Underworld: Elysium, Asphodel, the Fields of Punishment, even Tartarus and the palace. Nick's soul isn't anywhere in those places. And Dad checked at the Judgment Pavilion. The judges haven't seen him come through. Dad even walked through the entire line of the dead and couldn't find him. And Dad looked in the waiting place for Charon's ferry. He's not there. Krys, if his soul can't be found, that means he's still alive!"

I stood up shakily. My breath was now coming in short, little gasps. In shock for some reason that I couldn't figure out, I backed away from Alex and stumbled into the cabin. Rushing over to my bag, I reached into one of the pockets and pulled out Nick's invisibility cap and the crumpled paper with Rachel's prophecy on it. I bolted out of the cabin and ran past Alex. I kept heading for the woods, ignoring Alex as he called out to me.

I rushed through the woods blindly. Tears were slowly falling down my cheeks. I ignored all of the nymphs who peered out at me in curiosity. Eventually, I found my way back to an open clearing with a massive rock pile in the middle. Most campers didn't come out this way anymore, which was why I came out here so often. Still crying, I hauled myself up to the top of the rock mound. I sat down and buried my face in my hands.

* * *

Hours later, I was still sitting on the rocks. I looked up and saw that the sun was starting to sink in the sky. I heard snow crunch next to me. Glancing down, I found Caleb looking up at me from the base of the pile.

"What?" I muttered.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I didn't answer him. "I…I just wanted to talk to you. Can I?"

"Fine," I sighed. I moved over on the rock. Caleb pulled himself up the face of the rocks and sat next to me. He stared off at the sun for a while in silence.

"I'm sorry," he finally said.

"For what?"

"For what happened on the wall. I didn't mean to make you mad."

"It wasn't you. It's just been really crazy lately. I just…blew up, I guess."

"You and Brooke…you're fighting over Nick." He said it with absolute certainty, as if it was as clear as the sky above us.

A let the conversation hang for a few minutes. I wanted so bad to tell Caleb about everything, but could I trust him not to go nuts on me, too? Would he be able to handle it?

"He's not dead," I finally whispered.

"Huh?"

"Nick. He's not dead, Caleb."

Caleb sighed, and a sad uncertainty washed over his face. "Krys, we all believe he's still alive, but the chances of his survival are dwindling. I want to find him as much as anyone else, but if the adults can't find him, what chance do we have?"

"Believe me, he's alive. Alex talked to me at the cabin. He overheard Nico saying that Nick's soul can't be found, so he can't be dead. And I've known for months. Rachel gave me this at the end of the summer." I pulled the prophecy from my pocket and shoved it into Caleb's hands.

His eyes flew over the paper and filled with disbelief. I watched him read it over and over. His breath started to come in short, shallow gasps, and he shook his head. Anguish replaced the doubt on his face, and his eyes snapped shut. I reached for his arm. He opened his eyes, now shining with water, and stared at the sun.

"What is this supposed to mean?" he choked. "And what about that weird sun?"

"I don't know about the sun. Rachel gave me that prophecy last summer, though, after I said I'd do anything to find Nick. _'Owl of the sea, whom you seek.'_ That's Nick, it has to be. _'Found only by one, the shy and meek.'_ I'm assuming that's supposed to describe the one person who's capable of finding Nick."

"Only one person can find him? So even if there's a chance Nick is still alive, only one person can find him, and we don't even know who this person is?"

I pursed my lips and decided not to answer. "_'To end the child's chosen plight, Seek the child of fire and light.' _I'm guessing that it means the only way to get Nick out the mess that he threw himself into, we have to find whoever this 'child of fire and light' guy is. They're supposed to be the only one who can find him."

"And we don't even know who they are."

"Or do we? Think about it: Rachel wouldn't give me a prophecy and wait, like, ten years or something for it to happen."

"I don't know. There was one prophecy that was spoken, and it didn't come true until seventy years after the Oracle said it."

"Okay, but I honestly doubt that this one is going to be like that."

"Fine. Say we do know this kid. Do you have any ideas who it could be? And just so you know, I don't know a single kid who can control fire, or light, for that matter."

"Unless that line refers to their parentage. What god reigns over fire and light?"

"Well, Apollo is the newest sun god, which is light, but he's not exactly fire. Hephaestus rules over forges and fire, but I'm not sure that's exactly light."

"What if we aren't talking about an Olympian?"

"What if we aren't talking about a god?"

I stared at him in horror. It was like he'd just looked inside the darkest parts of my mind, found my most terrifying idea, and had brought it into the limelight. That was an idea I'd refused to think about since summer, until now. Even then, I'd done everything I could to suppress the thought.

"You do realize what you're saying, right? That there could be another…" I let the thought hang, not wanting to admit it, and Caleb didn't seem any more eager to finish the thought.

A faint shout wove its way through the trees. Caleb perked up immediately and slid down from the rock pile.

"We all came looking for you," Caleb explained quickly. "I told Brooke that she and Alex could take the other half of the woods, and that I'd take Aaron through this side."

"Where's Aaron?"

"I kind of ditched him at the creek."

"You did what! Caleb, he's a newbie!"

"He said he can fight, sort of."

"Caleb!"

"Okay, I ditched the new kid! I'm sorry!"

"Oh gods! Brooke is going to kill us!"

"Well, let's just find him, and we'll pretend this never happened."

"You really think you're going to get something like this past Brooke?"

"You got a better idea?"

I huffed and shook my head. Caleb reached up and helped me down the rocks. He grabbed my hand and pulled me through the forest behind him.

We raced through the trees until we came to the creek. Caleb let go of my hand and started darting along the water's edge. I turned to search the other side of the bank, and walked right into Brooke.

"Uh…" I trailed.

Brooke stared at me for a moment before looking over my shoulder. "Caleb, what are you doing?"

Caleb ran back toward us and slid to a halt beside me. "Hey, Brooke, look who I found."

"Uh huh, and look who I found." Brooke gestured behind her. I looked past her and saw Alex and Aaron, both staring at the ground awkwardly.

"I can explain," Caleb said nervously.

"You can explain the fact that you left a new camper in the middle of the woods by himself without any weapons or any way to defend himself? Please do, because I'm very interested in hearing about this."

"Uh…"

"Look, we found him, Brooke," Alex stepped in. "Aaron's perfectly fine, we've found Krys, and everyone's still okay. Maybe we can just chill and head back to the cabin."

Brooke glared at Alex, and then turned her eyes on Caleb. "Let's just avoid losing any more people, got it?" She turned around and stormed out of the forest.

"Sorry," Aaron muttered.

Caleb didn't answer. He closed his eyes, let out a breath, and walked after Brooke. Alex gave me look before turning and leaving, too. I walked over to Aaron.

"Don't worry about it," I told him. "Brooke is usually very protective, especially of new kids."

"Why?"

"I don't know. It's about something that happened in her past, I think. She never told me. I tried to get it out of Alex and… Well, her friends promised not to tell anyone either."

"You're hiding something," Aaron whispered. "All of you."

"What makes you say that?"

"The way you all stop in the middle of sentence, like when you're talking about somebody. And you and Brooke fight a lot over… Gods, I don't even know what you're fighting about. And I can see it in the way you guys live: the way you hold your heads down, how you're all quiet around each other, how half the time you're all depressed or something, and how you spend the rest of your time screaming at each other or making weird faces. It really isn't hard to figure out."

I stared at him for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. "You really shouldn't talk about things that you don't about, especially if you're going to talk that much."

I stormed past Aaron. It probably seemed like a jerk move to Aaron, but I really didn't care at that moment.

I made my way out of the woods without even looking back to see if Aaron was following. Not very many campers were over here anymore, which was perfectly fine with me. The less people I had to deal with, the better. I crossed the camp and went right for the cabin. I almost stomped up the steps, but something stopped me. I kept still, waiting at the bottom of the cabin's porch. Somebody was talking inside. I could just barely hear their hushed voices drifting out of the open windows. I pulled Nick's hat out of my jacket pocket and put it on. As quietly as I could, I crept up the stairs and positioned myself right under the front window.

"-don't know why," I heard Brooke say. "It's so weird."

"Well, if you would tell me what you're talking about, maybe I could help," another girl offered. It sounded like Monica.

"It's this kid in camp. I don't know why, but I think I trust him."

"Well, that does tend to happen when you get to know somebody."

"But that's just it. I _don't _really know him at all."

"Who is it? Maybe I know him a little better."

"Trust me, you don't know him."

"Maybe, but I still want to know who he is. Maybe he's hot."

"Monica!"

"I'm joking. Now come on, who is he?"

I heard Brooke sigh before answering. "He's a new kid. I went up north to get him a few days ago with Krys. Julius was up there to watch him. It was just so weird. Julius really didn't know much about the kid as things stood anyway. When Krys and I went up, we didn't even know what the kid looked like. Heck, we didn't even know his name. But I swear, the second I saw him… Well, have you ever had that feeling, like as soon as you see someone that you've never seen in your life, and something just tells you to…? It's like something that tells you that that person is okay, that they'd never do anything to hurt you, and you can just trust them for no better reason than that little feeling inside of you. I've never felt it before."

"I think I get it."

"You do?"

"You're scared."

"I am not. What do have to be afraid of?"

"That feeling. You've never had it before, and now that you are, you're afraid of it. You're afraid of the fact that you trust some kid that you don't even know when he's given you no reason _to_ trust him."

"That's crazy, Monica."

"Is it, Brooke, because that is exactly like you."

"It is not!"

"You and I both know that you have trust issues. And I'm sorry to bring this up, but you've had huge issues with getting close to anyone since Nick disappeared. I know you, Brooke, and I know that this feeling of yours is terrifying to you."

"You know what, let's pretend that you might be right. What am I supposed to do about it?"

"Maybe you should just go with it."

"Why? It doesn't make sense to follow it. There's no reason to. It's like you said: I have no reason to trust him."

"I know, Brooke. I can see the gears going in your mind, trying to figure out what to do. I know your logical mind from Athena's side is telling you to come up with a reasonable explanation or something, but maybe you need to stop being logical for once. I know that's hard for you, but you're not just Athena. You're Poseidon, too, and that part of you is impulsive, illogical, emotional, based on actions, everything that your Athena side isn't, and I've seen it come out before. Maybe you should let that side out with this kid."

"You know how hard that is for me."

"I know, but maybe you've finally found that one person who can break that hard shell of yours."

Brooke didn't answer for a few seconds. The silence was overwhelming, and I wanted to just jump up and beg one of them to say something. This was definitely something that I shouldn't have heard, but it had shed a completely new light on things. Brooke still did have emotions, even if they were all tangled up in some giant knot, and this was a side I'd never seen from Monica. I hadn't exactly pegged her as the advice-giving type, let alone the type someone would pour their mind out to. Then again, Brooke had known Monica for years.

"We'll see," Brooke finally sighed.

"Would you mind telling me his name?" Monica asked.

"Aaron Freestone."

"Alright, I'm going to see if I can find him."

"Monica, don't even think of telling him!"

"Don't worry, I won't."

The door opened and closed with a light bang, and I watched Monica run across the snow in her dark jeans and white snowboarding jacket. Brooke came out a few seconds later. Her eyes wandered across the cabin area, then fell on me. I tensed up, certain that she knew I was there. But Brooke just shook her head and blinked before pulling her hood over her head and walking off. I sighed and walked inside, letting the door slam shut behind me.

I collapsed on my bed and stared at everything in the cabin. Everyone was still out somewhere, and I was honestly glad for the peace. Throughout the rest of the day, the mix-bloods kept wandering in and out of the cabin, but they didn't seem to notice me. Thank you, invisibility cap.

When dinner came around, I stayed in the cabin, still not wanting to be around anyone. Nobody came looking for me, which I have to admit was a little disappointing, but I was still okay with it. I skipped the campfire, too. I finally pulled off the hat, stuffed it under my pillow, and tried to fall asleep.

* * *

I opened my eyes and rolled over in bed. I looked around the dark cabin and saw lumps lying in the beds. I swung out of bed and stood up. My muscles were stiff from lying in bed for so long. I stretched my arms out and looked at the bed above mine. Aaron wasn't there. It was almost six, so I had a pretty good idea of where to find him. I crossed the room and looked out the window. Sure enough, there he was, just sitting on the steps again, and of course, without a freaking jacket. Gods, this kid was crazy.

I heard the floorboards creak behind me. On impulse, I spun around and let my fist fly. Someone caught it, pulled me toward them and sent me spinning across the room. I regained my balance and launched myself forward. Whoever it was caught me and forced me to the ground. A hand went over my mouth.

"Krys, quiet," someone hissed in my ear.

I managed to force the person off of me. I rolled to my feet. A tall, dark form stood in front of me. I could just barely make out who it was in the early morning light.

"Caleb?" I guessed. He nodded at me. "What the-!"

Caleb jumped forward and threw a hand over my mouth. "Do you not know what 'quiet' means?"

I pushed his hand away and glared. "What the Hades was that for?" I hissed.

"Um, excuse me, but you came at me with flying fists."

"You snuck up on me."

"I did not. I was going to ask you what you were doing and the floor creaked."

"Okay, why are you even awake right now?"

"I woke up when Aaron went out. The stupid boards were creaking and he let the door slam. Then you woke up a few minutes later. I just wanted to know what was going on with you two."

"It's called the inability to sleep. Now go back to bed before you wake up the rest of the cabin."

"Too late," one of the girls grumbled.

"Shut up already," Alex muttered.

"Sorry guys," I apologized.

An annoyed growl came from one of the girls, and a pillow flew across the room at us. Caleb ducked and the pillow hit me in the face.

"Thanks," I snapped.

"Why don't we all just get up now," Caleb yawned. "We'd be getting up soon anyway."

The others grumbled and groaned, but they started moving slowly. I glanced out the window at Aaron again. He seemed to be fine still. I turned back, pulled a pair of clothes out of my bag, and walked into the bathroom.

* * *

I watched as Aaron got knocked flat on his back for the fourth time.

"I'd say he's not much of a wrestler," Caleb whispered to me.

"I'd agree with that," I nodded.

"Well, we can definitely cut out Ares," Monica said as Aaron went down again. "When were we planning on dragging this poor kid out of this place?"

"Whenever this stops being entertaining," Caleb smiled.

Aaron walked back to us stiffly, rubbing his shoulder and frowning.

"Are we done here?" he muttered.

"We could've been done after your first butt-whipping," Caleb laughed. "I told them that we should wait and see how long you'd fight for."

Aaron glared at Caleb and fixed his sunglasses. I was still wondering how those glasses had survived so much.

"Where to next?" I asked.

"I think Brooke wants us to take him down to the archery range," Monica answered.

"Now that I can deal with," Caleb said. He turned around to leave, and ended up on the ground. He looked at Aaron, who had a smug grin on his face and waved innocently. "Oh, it's on, kid. It is so on."

"Great," Monica groaned good-naturedly, "two more boys to add to our cabin's 'trouble list'."

"More like the '_troubled_ list'," I joked.

Monica laughed. The boys just ignored me, but I could see smiles tugging at the edge of their lips.

The archery range didn't work out any better than wrestling. When Aaron was handed a bow, he looked like he'd just been handed the world's most annoying parrot or something. Caleb tried to help him, but Aaron just didn't seem to get archery, which definitely cut out Apollo. He actually ended up watching me practice with my discus for almost two hours. Caleb eventually came over with Monica. We all agreed that archery was definitely not for Aaron.

We decided to go to the arena next. Maybe twenty kids were spread out around the arena, sparring with each other and practicing drills. I caught sight of Brooke battling with three others, and she was easily kicking their butts across the field. I saw Alex nearby, sparring with a girl with light-brown hair.

"Aaron Freestone," someone said. I spun around and found Percy Jackson staring at us. "I was wondering when these guys would drag you in here."

Aaron didn't say anything. He actually took a step back, like he was afraid of Percy, which I honestly didn't blame him for. Percy still scared me half to death. Then Aaron smiled a little, stepped forward and put out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, um…" Aaron let off.

"Percy Jackson," Percy supplied, taking Aaron's hand and shaking it. "Can't remember the last time I met twelve-year-old that was your height."

"Um, thanks," Aaron mumbled.

"What, you don't like people noticing your height?" Percy asked.

"I don't like being a freak."

"Trust me kid, that height will come in handy someday. Now, let's see if we can find you something to fight with." Percy led Aaron away.

"He thinks he's a freak?" Monica asked. "Why?"

I shrugged. "He's a half-blood, and an outcast at that. I saw that place where he lived, and some of the kids that were with him. He's been made to believe that he's useless and a freak for his whole life. He's never had friends, and he probably never had anyone who cared about him."

"You say that like you lived it," Caleb said. I looked at him for a second before walking away.

I pulled out my sword and started running through all of the motions. Between watching my sword spin and not trying to slice myself in half, I lost track of everything else. I moved in a sort of daze for a while. Then, as I was bringing my sword around for a swipe, another sword clanged against mine. In a blur, someone grabbed my sword arm and twisted it around. I was sent flying, dropping my sword and landing face-first on the ground. I rolled over and found a sword point just inches from my chest. On the other end, with one of her classic emotionless faces, was Brooke.

Brooke held the sword up for a few seconds. I couldn't tell what she was thinking. I was really hoping she wasn't considering all the ways she could kill me at this point. Finally, Brooke lowered her sword and held out her hand. I took it, and Brooke pulled me back to my feet. She stared at me for a second before turning away.

"What was that for?" I snapped.

"You needed the practice," she told me.

"How about a heads up next time, okay?"

"Keep your eyes open."

"What?"

I stepped toward Brooke. She spun around and lashed out with her sword. I screamed as the sword passed in front of my face, less than an inch away from making contact. Desperate to get back, I stumbled and fell to the ground again. Brooke pointed her sword at me again.

"I said, keep your eyes open," she said slowly.

She hauled me to my feet again and put her sword away.

"You can't close out the world in a fight," she continued. "During a fight, it's not just you and your opponent. You have to consider the rest of the battle. You have to keep your eyes open to everything around you, unless you want to end up with a knife in your back. Open your senses. While you're fighting your one battle, listen to what else is happening. Listen to everything around you. Let yourself steal a glance at what else is happening. Trust your instincts, because they are your first and final defense. Listen to every feeling you have, or when you begin to sense something. Your senses and your instincts are what will separate you from life and death in the end. Blocking out everything will only seal your place on a funeral pyre."

Brooke turned and started to walk away from me.

"Trust my instincts, huh?" I called after her. "Do you want to know what they tell me? That you want to kill me at some point."

Brooke stopped and shook her head. "That's not what your instincts are saying. That's your paranoia talking to you. There's a difference. Ask yourself: if I had wanted you gone, don't you think you'd be dead by now. I can assure you, Krystol, I could have killed you at least a dozen different times since you stepped back into this camp. So why haven't I?"

I probably should've let it go then, but I was stupid enough to open my mouth again. "Maybe you're waiting so you can find a good reason to kill me."

Brooke whirled around and had her knife at my throat before I could think. I could see the anger burning in her gray eyes. Her face was as hard as steel, and her lips had parted in vicious sneer.

"Ask your instincts this," she snarled. "Don't I already have a reason to end your life? Think about it: I have the skill to kill you. You and I both know that. I have the weapons to kill you. I have the knowledge to cover it up if I had to. And I most certainly have a reason, even if you say it wasn't your fault. So try this: instead of asking me why I _haven't _killed you, ask me why I _won't_ kill you."

Brooke pulled her dagger back and glared at me. Finally, she put it away and walked away from me. I gulped and rubbed at my throat. Brooke's words stuck in my mind: _"Ask me why I _won't_ kill you."_ It was definitely a good question, and one I couldn't answer. Brooke was right. She had a reason to go after me, and could kill me in a heartbeat. So why didn't she?

I shook my head to clear it. Tapping the charm on my bracelet, I scanned the arena and found her standing next to a rack of swords. _Great,_ I thought. _You had to stand right next to the pointy stuff._ I sighed and made my way over to her anyway.

"We need to talk," I said.

"There's nothing to talk about," she said softly.

"Brooke, we both know that's a lie." She didn't respond. Angry, I stepped in front of her. "Why won't you talk to me?"

"I'm busy," she said with an annoyed expression.

I could almost feel my blood boiling. "What exactly are you so busy with?"

"That."

She grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. About twenty feet away, Aaron was actually dueling with Percy. I could tell Percy was going easy on him, but I was still impressed that Aaron could manage to fight at all with a sword master. Even though he seemed to be handling it a little awkwardly, Aaron was spinning his sword around without much trouble, and he looked like he was doing okay with all of the basic moves.

"In case you've forgotten, we're still trying to figure out who his parent is," Brooke continued. We stared at the pair for a little while longer before Brooke said anything. "Gods, I've never seen anything like this."

"Like what?" I asked.

"My dad has been working with him for less than an hour, yet he's already got the basic skills down for the most part."

"So? He's a half-blood."

"Still, no one is automatically that good, even if they are naturals. And remember how he kind of knew how to fight with that spear?"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, I think he's been trained before."

"What? But that's impossible."

"Maybe, maybe not, but he shouldn't be this good this soon. And it might explain how he got his spear. If you ask me, either someone found him, gave him that spear, trained him to some degree, and left him for some reason, or he got that spear somehow and has been training himself."

"Is that possible?"

"Are you really going to ask if that's possible when you know that Greek gods and monsters exist? I'll admit, both of my ideas are way out there, but not impossible, and either could explain a lot of things."

I didn't answer her. It was hard to think that Aaron had already been trained, but Brooke was right. It could've been possible. I looked back at Aaron. Even for a half-blood, he _was _too good. I turned back to Brooke.

"Let's pretend that either of your ideas could be true. Who would've trained him? If he trained himself, where would he have gotten the spear?"

Brooke opened her mouth, but a shout cut her off. I looked to where the scream had come from. Aaron had dropped his sword and was doubled-over, clutching his hand. Percy had a hand on Aaron's shoulder and looked concerned.

Brooke and I bolted over. Aaron was wincing in pain, and blood covered his hands.

"What'd you do?" I asked.

Percy grabbed Aaron's hands and turned them over. A deep cut ran across his left palm, and smaller cuts were lined up perfectly across his fingers.

"I think he tried to grab the handle and got the blade instead," Percy said. He turned to the rest of the campers in the arena, most of who were now looking at us with interest. "Are there any medics here?"

I saw Caleb and Monica shove their way through the kids. Caleb came up to us and took a look at Aaron's hand.

"Again with the injury prone thing," he joked. "How'd you do this?"

"Grabbed the blade," Aaron said through clenched teeth.

"Why'd you do that?" Monica asked.

Aaron didn't answer, but I had an idea. I glanced at Brooke and knew that she'd figured things out, too.

"I don't have any nectar on me," Caleb told Aaron. "Looks like you get to go back to the infirmary again."

"Alright, Caleb, take him in," Percy said. "I'm assuming that means the rest of you are done, too?"

"For now," Brooke answered.

"Actually, I need to talk to you. The rest of you are free to go."

"Um, I think I'll wait," Monica said. Percy looked at her. "Oh, I see. Come on guys. Let's get out of here."

Monica gave me a little push, and we followed the boys out of the arena.

"I'm heading back to the cabin," Monica said. "Maybe I'll actually be able to warm up there."

"Hey, it could be worse," Caleb reminded her. "We could be freezing in Alaska, or Canada."

Monica shrugged. "True."

Monica turned and walked toward the cabins. Caleb led Aaron away to the infirmary. I sighed to try and clear my head.

The snow crunched behind me. I turned and found a girl standing behind me. She was really pretty and probably only ten or eleven. Light-brown hair fell in waves down to her shoulders. She had skin like brown sugar and light-blue eyes that made me feel like I was staring into the clearest pool on Earth. Light-colored jeans and a bright, pink jacket covered her slight form. She had little, red heart earrings and a pair of new purple Converse sneakers on. When she smiled at me, I saw that she had pink braces.

"Hi," she said cheerfully.

"Um…" I looked past her and saw Alex staring at us as he walked away.

"I'm Ashley," she said, "daughter of Aphrodite."

"Um, Krystol," I told her.

"I know. You're Kronos's daughter, right?"

I clenched my jaw at the question. "Sure, you could say that."

"You went with Brooke on her quest last summer, right? Do you know what happened to Nick?"

Her question took me by surprise. "Um, I-."

"There are rumors going around the camp. People are saying it's your fault Nick's gone. They say you let the servant take him. Do you know where he is? Are the rumors real?"

"Whoa, slow down. First off, I don't know where Nick is. Second, quit listening to rumors."

"But…I just wanted to know-."

"No, I don't care. Sorry to be rude, but this isn't your problem. Stop talking about things that you don't know about."

I turned away from the girl and stormed across the camp. Tears were forming in my eyes and I was shaking with rage. Rumors had been spreading around the camp about me?

I rushed into the forest again, desperate to get away from the camp. I ignored the nymphs around me as I ran through the woods. Yeah, I was probably acting like a baby or something by not facing my problems, but I didn't care. I was sick of how everyone was blaming me for everything when I had no control of anything. It wasn't my fault all of that had happened.

I broke into my clearing and ran for the rock pile again. I clambered up the boulders and sat down with my knees against my chest and my head buried in my arms. Boy was I getting emotional lately.

* * *

Two hours later, I was still on top of the rocks. At least I had managed to uncurl myself from a ball and had laid out across the boulder pile. I stared off at the woods and watched the dryads run through the trees and play tag with each other. _Wouldn't it be nice to have that kind of life?_ I thought.

I caught sight of a tall figure moving through the forest toward me. I didn't bother to move. It was probably just Caleb or somebody else who had come looking for me. I was shocked when I saw Aaron step out of the shadows and walk toward me. Curious, I sat up and stretched out my arms.

"This is where you hide?" Aaron asked me as he looked over the clearing.

"I don't hide out here," I protested. He gave me a skeptical look. "Well, not all the time."

"It's nice here."

"Ha, not if you knew the history of this place." I slid down from the rocks. "How'd you get out here anyway?"

"The nymphs."

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You always give really short answers that hardly make any sense. I don't get it. Most demigods that I know aren't quiet. Why are you?"

Aaron shrugged and pushed his hands into his pockets. "The less you talk, the less you can say wrong."

"Hm, that's a…different way of thinking."

"Why do you come out here?"

I folded my arms and looked down. "I'm not exactly a well-loved camper around here. Most people don't really care for me one way or another. Actually, quite a few just flat out hate me. Out here, I don't have to deal with them."

Aaron nodded understandingly and let the conversation drop. Having found an awkward silence, I looked around for something to talk about, and my eyes fell on Aaron's arm. The bandage was off now, and the bruise was almost completely gone.

"Your arm looks a lot better," I smiled.

Aaron glanced down at it and grinned a little. "Caleb's good at what he does."

"How's your hand?"

"Like it never even happened."

Aaron pulled his hand out and showed it to me. The cuts and scratches had completely disappeared. _Good, old nectar_, I thought, then something caught my attention. I finally got a good look at that bracelet I'd seen on Aaron's wrist yesterday, and almost had a heart attack. A single pendant had been strung on the leather, and it was the perfect image of the sun Rachel had sketched out for me last summer.

Aaron caught me looking at it and covered it quickly with his other hand. "Oh, um, about that. See, I kind of came looking for you to…show you something."

I didn't answer. I was still speechless and in shock.

"I…I thought that since we were kind of friends, maybe I could trust you with this secret."

I finally broke out of my daze. "What secret?"

"This."

Aaron took off his glasses and looked around nervously to make sure no one was watching us. He stepped back away from me and took a breath. Pursing his lips, Aaron gently pressed on the sun bead. The little bead gave off a faint glow that lit up Aaron's fiery eyes, and the area instantly grew warmer. The light brightened, and something shot out of the bead. I stepped back in alarm. Aaron reached up and caught a spear that had been falling toward him, the same spear he'd fought with in Ithaca and on the hill.

Even slowly filling with fear, I was still amazed. The spear was the sleekest, most elegant one I'd ever seen. The shaft of the spear had been smoothed down and polished to a perfect golden color, and the sharpened spearhead glowed faintly with an almost graceful deadliness. If a weapon could possibly look beautiful, this thing had managed it. And in Aaron's hands, it only made him look more like the rugged Greek commander he'd resembled on his first night here. Whereas I had hardly felt it before, power now seemed to flow off of him in great, unseen waves.

"Nice spear," was all I could manage.

"That's not all," he whispered shakily.

Aaron held out his hand, the palm facing up. He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes. I stared at his hand and fell back into shock at what happened. Blossoming from the middle of his palm and curling around his fingers was fire.

Aaron opened his eyes and stared at the flames dancing across his hand, like it was something he did every day.

"No," I muttered, knowing everything was falling into place: the sun he wore, the light that came from it, his fiery eyes that matched the flames he held.

"No way," someone gasped.

My head snapped up, and Aaron spun around in surprise, extinguishing the fire. Staring at us in shock were Brooke, Caleb, Alex, and Monica.

"H-How…how did you…and the fire…?" Monica stammered.

"Um, I…I can explain," Aaron insisted, but he wasn't given the chance.

A bright light suddenly appeared above him. I covered my eyes to block out the blinding light. When the light finally died down, I peered through my fingers at Aaron. He was staring at the light above him, mesmerized. I glanced up at it. Through the harsh light, I could make out a blazing sun above Aaron's head that matched his bracelet. Finally, the symbol faded away, leaving us all shocked and confused.

"What was that?" Aaron asked.

"I think you just got claimed," Brooke answered.

"By who?"

"I don't know."

* * *

Brooke threw open the doors to the Big House. The rest of us followed her in nervously. The eyes of the camp trainers fell on us: Chiron, Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Tanya, Will, and Katie. Mr. D snored on a couch.

"Children," Chiron started, rising on all four legs, "what brings you here?"

"I think Aaron just got claimed," Brooke said.

"Oh, well, that's good," Katie smiled. "By who?"

"We don't know," Brooke admitted.

"Wow, you mean there's something Brooke doesn't know?" Tanya teased.

"Tanya, I'm not joking," Brooke insisted.

"Well-," Annabeth started, but the sound of the doors banging open interrupted her.

With her frizzy red hair puffing out around her and her green eyes shining brightly, Rachel walked into the Big House without hesitating.

"Ugh, it is so crowded out there," she complained as she walked past us. "I swear, New York traffic doubles at Christmas. As if normal traffic wasn't bad enough."

She froze and looked back at us. A new light filled her eyes as she looked over Aaron.

"You're new here," she noted. "I'm Rachel, by the way, the camp's Oracle."

She held out her hand to Aaron, but he was too stunned to shake it. Shrugging, Rachel turned back around and moved toward one of the couches. She pulled off the backpack she was wearing and let it fall to the ground as she jumped up on the back of the closest couch.

"So, what's going on here?" she asked with a smile.

"Um, Aaron just got claimed," Alex supplied, pointing at Aaron, "but we don't know by whom."

"Oh, well what was the claiming sign?"

"A sun," Monica said simply.

"A sun?" Will jumped in. "Guys come on. You know who the sun god is, Apollo."

"Dad, this wasn't a sign from Apollo," Caleb insisted. "I'd know Apollo's sign anywhere, and this wasn't it."

"Well…" Annabeth bit her lip as she tried to figure something out. "Maybe you guys can describe what it looked like."

We all stared at each other, waiting for someone to describe the sign we'd seen, but no one seemed to know how to explain it. I caught Aaron's eye. Without his glasses, I could see the fear and desperation in his eyes. He looked down at me. I looked from his eyes to his bracelet, hoping that he'd be willing to show the adults. Finally, he nodded to me.

"Um, it looked sort of like this," I said nervously.

Aaron held out his wrist for everyone to see the bracelet. Confusion spread across all of the trainers' faces, but I watched Rachel's eyes light up. She jumped to her feet and rushed forward to get a closer look. Rachel stared at the little bead for a few seconds, and then she darted back to her backpack.

"I've seen that," she muttered. "I've seen that sign before. It's in here somewhere."

Rachel pulled a tattered notebook out of her bag and started flipping through the pages. She stopped close to the end and started looking back and forth between Aaron and whatever was in her notebook. Finally, she stood up and handed the notebook to Chiron. She muttered something to him and pointed at the paper. The other adults took a look, too, but walked away almost instantly as they ran their hands through their hair and whispered to themselves.

"What?" Aaron asked nervously. "Who's my parent?"

Chiron looked up at Aaron sadly. He shook his head and closed his eyes.

"I can assure you that you would much rather not know," Chiron promised.

"No," Aaron snapped in the hardest voice I'd ever heard him use. "I want to know. It is my birthright to know who my father his. Who is he? Who am I?"

"Another heir," Rachel said.

"What?"

"That is who you are."

"You are the child of a very powerful being: The Lord of the East; the father of the Sun, the Moon, and the Dawn; the Titan of Light," Chiron announced. "The son of Hyperion."

**And down goes another chapter. Thanks for all of the reviews and guesses on Aaron's parent, and congrats to those who got it right. By the way, if anyone is interested in seeing what that little sun that I keep talking about looks like, look for a picture of Hyperion from PJO. He has a little sun in the middle of his armor. Anyway, that's about it, so read and review, I guess. See ya.**


	7. Worst Family Reunion Ever

**Disclaimer: I do nt own PJO.**

**Alright, I'll try to make this short. I'm sorry for not updating for X months (I think I'm up to eight now...) I was caught up with school, sports, family, you know, all that good stuff. And I would've written in my free time, except that I couldn't think and then I got really into writing another story. So, long story short: my life was busy, and I apologize for making everyone wait. And now, onto the story!**

**Chapter 6: Worst Family Reunion Ever**

I stood in the back corner of the cabin with my arms crossed as my eyes moved over each of the mix-bloods. I didn't think they would pull anything, but I really wasn't too positive about anything nowadays. It was better to be safe than sorry.

Alex was sitting on the trunk at the base of his bunk. His dark eyes were cold and hard, but he kept them down toward the floor. Monica was stretched out across her bed with her face in the pillow, like she was trying to hide from what had happened. Caleb was by the door, staring at nothing, still in shock over the claiming. Brooke paced the floor stiffly with clenched hands. I couldn't tell if she was angry, upset, or maybe even scared. My eyes fell on Aaron. For just getting what was probably the worst news of his life, he didn't look that bad. He was sitting in the other back corner with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. He looked a little scared, but not as much as I would've expected. He seemed more peaceful than anything else, almost like he was resigned to the fact that he was the son of a titan, like he'd been expecting something that bad.

I had to give the kid some credit on how he'd taken the whole thing. Even with the looks he'd gotten from the adults as Chiron had forced us out of the Big House, he'd hardly reacted at all. I swear, the kid was like a solid rock. Hardly anything seemed to affect him.

After twenty minutes of absolute silence, my curiosity won out. "What are they going to do?"

"Who knows?" Brooke grumbled. "They could call the gods in, but they would've done it already."

"Do you think they'd just ignore the claiming?" Caleb asked.

Brooke shook her head. "There's no way they could. You can't just ignore a claiming. Besides, you know what this camp is like. Word will get out. The question isn't _if_ they can hide it; it's how long they can hide it. All secrets get out eventually."

"So we do…what?" I asked. "We just wait until the campers find out and come to rip him apart?"

"What?" Aaron asked nervously.

"Oh, what do you know, you do still talk," Brooke smiled sarcastically.

"Brooke," I growled.

"What?"

"Don't."

"You know, last I checked, you weren't my boss, so shut it."

"And you aren't mine, so quit trying to control me."

"Excuse me, but you're in _my_ cabin, Krystol."

"That doesn't give you the right to act like a witch!"

"Oh gods," Caleb muttered, putting his head in his hands as the others groaned.

Brooke ignored them and glared at me. "You think your attitude has been any better than mine lately? I know I haven't been the best person lately, but here's a news flash: you've been just as bad."

"I'm not the one screaming at people and ordering everyone around, Brooke."

"Oh please, Krys. You've fought with me more than enough, and you've grouchd at everyone who tries to talk to you. I'll admit that I've snapped more than you, but don't you dare think for even a second that you have been any better than me. Besides, I haven't been running off to play hide-and-seek every time I get upset. I might get in someone's face, but at least I'm not the one running off to the woods for half the day."

"Well at least I'm trying to solve the problem. Every time I try to bring up Nick so we can talk, you blow me off and walk away. How does that solve anything? I might run, but at least I'm not trying to act like it didn't happen."

Brooke looked like she'd just been punched in the stomach. She grabbed her knife and jumped at me. Our cabin mates shouted and tried to jump between us. Caleb bolted forward and grabbed Brooke from behind. Alex jumped up and dragged me back away from Brooke. When I broke away from him, Monica grabbed my arms and pushed me back again. Brooke managed to get away from Caleb and came forward again. I twisted around, ducked under Monica's arms, and went for Brooke. Before we could reach each other, Aaron managed to get between us. He shoved me back, making me fall to the ground, and whipped around, catching Brooke's raised arm

Everyone had gone silent and was staring at him in surprise. I didn't even know he could move that fast, or that he actually had the guts to get between Brooke and I. Even Brooke was shocked. After a few seconds, Brooke pulled her arm out of Aaron's grasp and stumbled back.

He held out his hand expectantly. "Hand it over," he ordered.

Brooke just stared at him in shock, for once not knowing how to react. The others were still frozen, staring at Aaron and Brooke. I slowly got to my feet and backed away from Aaron.

"Brooke!" he snapped when she didn't respond. "I said, hand it over, now."

Brooke looked at him like he was crazy. They stared at each other for a few more seconds, saying nothing. Finally, and to my surprise, Brooke actually loosened her grip on the dagger. She raised it slowly and held the weapon out to Aaron. He grabbed the blade and took it away from her. I couldn't believe my eyes. Sure, I'd only known Brooke since May, but I knew her and her personality more than well enough. She never would've given him her knife, especially not in a situation like this.

"I still don't know exactly what everyone is fighting about," Aaron continued, "but it needs to stop. Brooke, Krys, you guys are going to tear each other apart like this. You're driving everybody else insane. Whatever the problem is, talk about it already and figure out how to fix it."

Aaron stormed past Brooke and Caleb, still holding onto the dagger. He threw the door open and stalked out of the cabin, letting the door slam behind him. An awkward silence filled the cabin as we all looked around at each other.

"Um, shouldn't someone make sure he doesn't get into trouble?" Monica asked quietly after a minute.

Caleb nodded at her, but he didn't turn to go after him. Instead, he glared at Brooke and me and held his hand out like Aaron had.

"Give me the sword, Brooke," he said roughly.

Brooke glared back at Caleb. Unlike with Aaron, she didn't look like she was about to give Caleb anything. She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at Caleb.

"Brooke, I mean it," Caleb growled. "Give me the sword."

Still shooting daggers with her eyes, Brooke reached into her pocket and pulled out a pen. She let it drop into Caleb's hand and crossed her arms again with a huff. Caleb ignored the sound and stepped around her. He held his hand out to me this time, giving me a hard stare. Reluctantly, I pulled off my bracelet and tossed it to him.

"Alright," Caleb said as he stuffed our weapons into his pocket, "I'm going to find Aaron and make sure he doesn't get himself killed." He pointed to Brooke and me. "You two are going to stay here and talk. He's right; you need to fix this, now. Alex, Monica, stand outside the door. Don't let these two out and only come in if it sounds like somebody's being murdered. Got it?"

Brooke and I grumbled and nodded as he turned and left.

"Don't kill her," Monica sighed to Brooke as she and Alex left.

Brooke and I stared at each other awkwardly. Now that I'd finally gotten the chance to talk to her, I didn't know what to say. I glanced around the cabin nervously, trying to look anywhere but at Brooke. I caught her doing the same. _Well, this isn't working out quite how I planned_ I thought.

"So…," I trailed anxiously.

"What?" Brooke asked tiredly. "Now that we're left alone, you can't think of anything?"

I frowned at her. "You're not much better, just standing there and keeping quiet."

Brooke sighed and dropped her eyes. "What is there to talk about, Krys? You and I both know what happened. Nick sacrificed himself. It's as simple as that." Her voice caught in her throat when she said her brother's name. She looked away from me again, but not before I saw the tears shining in her eyes.

"You know, I used to think it was that simple, too," I told her. "Rachel talked to me last summer. She helped explain the prophecy to me, especially the last line. She told me not to give up on Nick, even though everyone was ready to say he was dead."

Brooke flinched at the last part. She pursed her lips before speaking again. "So what? I get that we shouldn't give up. I haven't. But how does that solve anything. As much as I don't want to, part of me is going to blame you, no matter what you say. Just saying that we can't give up doesn't fix a thing."

"But there's more to it than not giving up. Haven't you heard any of the rumors? Nobody can find Nick's soul in the Underworld. That means he's—"

"He's still alive," she cut me off. "I know. I never said that I thought he was dead. I never believed he was to begin with. But that doesn't help _us_. It's not like we can fix all of this by looking for him. If the adults can't find him, then we won't."

"Why? Who ever said kids can't do something just because an adult can't?"

"I didn't. You should've let me finish. If the adults can't find him, or any signs of him, then we can't because they won't let us look. Chiron's made it clear that, without even the slightest trace of Nick, he can't risk sending campers out to search. He thinks it's too dangerous. I've practically begged him to let me go find Nick, and he says no every time. I know Alex has asked him, Caleb has, Monica, Charlotte, Zach, we've all asked to go looking for him. I know kids from other cabins have asked, like Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, Hermes, the list just goes on. I've heard rumors that even an Aphrodite child has asked. It's no, every time. Simply knowing he's alive isn't enough to fix this."

I bit my lip in disappointment. My mind was having a battle with itself now, debating about telling Brooke what I knew. After a minute, I sighed and made a choice.

"I think I might know how to find him," I whispered.

Brooke let out a sad breath. "Krys, I've told you, we can't look without actual proof."

"Would a prophecy count as proof?" Brooke looked back to me, and I could see the intrigue in her eyes. "What if a quest was made to find him?"

Brooke shook her head uncertainly. "I've never heard of a quest that was made just to find a demigod. I know there've been quests to find gods, but not demigods."

"But if there was a quest to find a demigod, Chiron would have to let the quest members go, right?"

"Well, yeah, I guess."

"Rachel told me something last summer, a prophecy, I guess. She basically said that there's one person who can find Nick, and only one person."

Hope flashed in Brooke's eyes. She started to say something, but her voice wouldn't come.

"Do you know who?" she finally choked out.

I had a pretty good idea that I was willing to bet some serious money on, but I didn't want to say it. "Maybe. Rachel said that I had to find them first, and then they would find Nick. She said to look for the child of…of fire and light."

I watched the warmth and emotion drain from Brooke's eyes as her mind started processing what I'd said. "The child of fire and light. It can't be… The prophecy. What was the prophecy, word for word?"

I pursed my lips, not sure if telling her was good idea. Glancing back at Brooke, I saw the desperation in her eyes. I let out a breath and started reciting the prophecy. "Owl of the sea, whom you seek, found only by one, the shy and meek. To end the child's chosen plight, seek the child of fire and light."

She stood there for a few seconds with her eyes cast to the ground. "Who did you have in mind?"

I hesitated. "Well, what do you think? I mean, you and I both know that you're better at figuring out prophecy stuff than I am."

She crossed her arms, looking mildly annoyed. "Krys."

"I don't think you'll like what I say."

"I don't care. It doesn't matter if I like it or not, I'll take what I can get."

I sighed quietly and brushed my hair back behind my ears nervously.

"Aaron?" Brooke guessed for me.

"What makes you think it's him?" I asked after a pause.

She shrugged and sat down on her bed. "Why not? Everything would fit. We're looking for Nick, and only a shy fire kid can find him." Brooke gave a grudging half-smirk. "I never thought I would call fire shy."

"And I never thought I'd meet a kid that could use fire," I mumbled.

Brooke didn't answer. She stared off at nothing, tapping her foot on the ground gently. I could practically see the gears in her head turning, and I started to wonder what crack-pot scheme we'd have to pull off this time.

Brooke suddenly stood up and started to walk toward the door.

"Um, what are you doing?" I asked nervously.

She didn't look back at me. "What does it look like? I'm going to find Aaron."

"Are you crazy?" She didn't answer. "Brooke."

When she still didn't turn, my impulses took over. I snapped my fingers, and Brooke froze almost instantly. The little trick didn't last long, but it was enough that I could get in front of her before she started moving again.

Brooke scowled at me. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm _stopping_ you from finding Aaron."

"Krys—"

"No. I know what you want to do. You want to walk out there and drag Aaron into this mess just because he might be able to find Nick. Well, it's not happening. You can't pull him into this. He doesn't even know the first thing about last summer."

"Krys, he's the only one who can find Nick."

"There could be another."

"Who?"

I didn't answer. How could I?

I shook my head and sighed. "Just don't tell him yet, okay? At least let things calm down for him. He deserves that much."

Brooke stared at me, her hard grey eyes softening a degree. She nodded after a minute.

"Fine," she mumbled. "I'll leave him alone." She walked past me and grabbed the door handle. "And can we act like we've fixed this problem? At least in front of everyone?" I nodded. If we could manage to at least be civil with one another, we'd probably be able to get everyone else off of our case, and that meant we could actually focus on finding Nick.

"Thanks," Brooke whispered after a few seconds. I barely heard her. She straightened up and her eyes went hard again. "Keep your eyes open."

"Why?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, but there's a storm coming. I can feel it. Just be ready, alright?"

Without another word, she turned back, opened the door, and walked out.

* * *

The mess hall roared with the sounds of a hundred different voices. All around us, campers laughed and gossiped and shouted to friends, except for my table. We were stuck in another one of those awkward silences that was so thick it could suffocate you. Wonderful, huh?

I stood up with the others and made my way toward the fire. Someone nudged my arm. I turned my head to look at Aaron. He looked tense.

"So, I, uh, I just…" His voice trailed off quietly.

I knew what he was thinking. Was he supposed to make an offering to his dad now? Impulse told me to have Aaron curse his father's name and leave him to rot alone in whatever prison the gods had him in. But another part of me kept my mouth shut. This was Aaron's dad I was thinking about. Granted, he was probably just as evil and messed up as my dad and he probably only wanted Aaron so he could serve the Titans. But did that mean I could make Aaron hate Hyperion? Did I really have the right to turn him against his own father?

I sighed as I stepped up to the fire and scooped in some spaghetti noodles, sending a silent prayer to anyone who wouldn't kill us. I turned to walk back to my seat, mumbling to Aaron as I passed him. "Say whatever you want."

Dinner went by slowly, the silence stretching on for what felt like ages. Finally, Chiron stomped his hoof on the ground, and the entire hall went quiet.

"Well, I hope you all had a nice dinner," Chiron started. He rattled off with a few announcements that I didn't pay attention to.

The plates and cups on our table disappeared suddenly, replaced by armor and weapons. I jumped a little in surprise.

"What's going on?" I asked. Everybody else was already out of their seats and grabbing at the supplies on the table.

"Weren't you listening?" Alex said. "We're playing capture the flag."

"I thought that was tomorrow."

"The trainers changed it," Brooke mumbled. "A good idea on their part actually."

"Why?"

Brooke stared at me like the answer should have been obvious. "If the campers are out fighting in the woods, they're less likely to be lying in their cabins spreading rumors."

I almost asked her what she was talking about when it hit me. Of course Chiron would want to distract the demigods. If word had managed to leak about Aaron, it would spread like wildfire, and then we'd have most of the camp howling for his blood.

"Are the teams even set?" Monica asked as she pulled on an arm piece.

"The last cabin picked sides this morning," Brooke answered. "We're with Athena."

"Of course we are," Caleb mumbled. He smirked when Brooke shot a glare at him.

With everyone prepped and itching for a fight, Chiron sent us off to the woods. All the way out to the forest, Brooke kept the rest of us in a loose circle around Aaron. It wasn't too hard to guess why anymore. We may have been surrounded by allies, but that didn't mean we had any friends among them.

Jessica Lindstrom, Athena's head counselor, drew a quick sketch in the dirt with her sword. She pointed out a few landmark dots and spouted off orders.

She looked at Aaron, then back to Brooke. "Can he fight?"

Brooke shrugged. "Well enough. I'd say keep a few people around him and he shouldn't die in this game."

I couldn't tell if she was joking or not, but Jessica nodded, her expression serious. "Brooke, Monica, and Shaylee, pull wide on the right flank. Mike, Alex, and Kim, take right-center. I want your groups to try to distract them."

A conch horn sounded in the distance. With a single nod from Jessica, everyone took off to their positions. That left six or seven of us, plus Jessica. She sent three of the kids off to play as backup guards. Another one, a son of Hermes, was sent out to scout the front line. Rumor had it he was awesome at sneaking around without being seen. Now it was just Caleb, Aaron, and me.

"Wait a few minutes," Jessica said, "then head out. Cut a path between the two groups on the right. If they can catch enough attention, which they should having a powerful kid each, then you guys might be able to sneak through the lines and get to the flag."

"I thought you wanted the left side to get the flag," I reminded her.

She shrugged. "That was the plan, but if you guys can get through, why not. Extra insurance, you know? If anyone starts tailing you though and you can't get rid of them quickly, just stay and fight. I'd rather make Ares think we're playing right side again than have a few extra runners to the flag." Jessica glanced at the forest around us one more time before darting away.

I looked back at Caleb in confusion. "Care to explain what she's talking about?"

"How long has it been since the horn went off?" he asked.

"A little over two minutes."

"Let's got then. I'll explain Jess's plan on the way."

We crept through the forest, trying not to attract any attention. I could hear metal ringing on metal all around us.

"So," Caleb started, "Jess has played the last five or so games with a strong right flank. The Ares guys didn't start figuring it out until after the third time. Jess's plan is riding on the hopes that she can trick the other team into going for our right."

"She has more people on the left though," Aaron pointed out.

Caleb nodded. "That's the idea. She's hoping that her left side can finish the game quickly and that her right side can hold whatever they send at us." He looked back and smirked at us. "And she wants to completely humiliate Ares this time."

"How?" Aaron asked.

"The Ares guys are known for the fighting skills, but Athena's kids can beat them every time when it comes to strategy. If Jess can manage to finish this thing fast enough—"

"Total humiliation," Aaron said. "She'll make it look like their fighting skills are nothing, and probably boost morale and guarantee future allies."

Caleb and I stared at him in shock.

"What?" Aaron asked.

"You realize," Caleb said slowly, "you just decoded a plan that Jessica has been working on for weeks in a matter of seconds."

Aaron shrugged. "Bullies did that all the time where I lived."

I turned to Caleb and raised an eyebrow. He pursed his lips and looked away, his eyes scanning over our surroundings.

"Let's keep moving," he suggested.

We managed to take a few steps before a voice interrupted us.

"Going somewhere?"

I whipped around dragged my sword out.

"You really think that's going to work, sweetheart?"

A man was leaning against a tree. He was tall and young, maybe eighteen or so. His hair was bright blond and short, and he probably would've looked pretty hot had it not been for the frown on his face. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place him. He couldn't have been in the game; he didn't have a single weapon on him. Caleb certainly recognized him though. He dropped to his knee and bowed his head.

"Lord Apollo," he said. My jaw dropped, and I almost fell on my face trying to get to my knees. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aaron drop to the ground hesitantly.

"You can get up," Apollo said, pushing away from the tree and coming toward us.

"Um, thanks," I mumbled, ungraciously clamoring to my feet.

"Don't thank me just yet." He pointed at Aaron and me. "If you two have a god you like, start praying. You're going to need all the help you can get."

"Um, excuse me, My Lord," Caleb jumped in, "what do you mean?"

Apollo glanced at Caleb and gave him a quick, blinding smile. "You might want to stay out of this one, kid."

"But—"

Apollo grabbed Aaron's arm and took my shoulder. "You two should close your eyes, and try not to throw up."

"Apollo!" Caleb shouted.

My vision went black.

When I could see, I almost screamed and begged for things to go dark again. We were in the main room of the Big House. Standing in front of us, and not looking very happy, were the Olympians.

Mr. D stepped forward. "You demititans just love to cause trouble, don't you?"

I swallowed hard and took half a step back. The last time I'd seen all of the gods in the same place, they'd been debating the idea of killing me.

"Well?" one of them said impatiently. I didn't have the guts to figure out whom.

"Are we sure these kids are something to worry about?" Apollo asked, walking away from us to join the gods. "I mean, she did help in California, and she didn't pick the Titans' side."

Zeus himself stepped forward and silenced Apollo. "It isn't her I care about." He glared at me for moment. "At least not this time."

Every muscle in my body tightened. I'd gotten used to the idea that the gods didn't like me. Even though Rachel had told them last summer that they couldn't kill me, I'd still figured that at some point they'd try to make my life miserable. But if they weren't here because of me, then that meant…

"So," Zeus turned back to Aaron slowly, "you are the son of Hyperion." He looked Aaron up and down. After a few seconds, a bolt of lightning appeared in Zeus's hand. "Then so be it."

Aaron gasped. I screamed and shoved Aaron behind me.

"Move, girl," Zeus growled. When I didn't, he raised the bolt in his hand.

"I wouldn't do that," someone said. I dared a glance around the room. Leaning against the frame of one of the hallways was Rachel.

"And why not?" one of the gods hissed.

Rachel started looking at her fingernails, acting like she didn't even care what was happening. "Oh, you know, you can't. Remember the rules I gave you last summer? They still stand with Krystol."

"And the boy?" a goddess, Artemis I think, asked.

Rachel shrugged. "Krystol, why don't you tell them why we need Aaron."

I started stuttering nervously. "Well, um…I uh…"

The gods groaned and sighed in annoyance. Despite the trouble we were in, I blushed in embarrassment.

Sighing, Rachel pushed away from the wall and walked forward. "Come on, Krys. Tell them. It's time someone knew."

"Someone _does_ know," I whispered hesitantly.

"Really?" Rachel nodded and crossed her arms. "Someone who could maybe keep you two out of trouble?"

"We're gods," one of the guys snarled with a cruel smile. "No one could keep those two safe from us." Aaron mumbled something behind me. The god stepped forward and sneered. "What was that, punk?"

Aaron moved up next to me. "I said, someone would try."

"You think you're that special, kid?"

"No, I just know how loyal my friends are."

I was ready to slap the boy. Over the months, I'd learned to just lay low and not say anything about the gods. It was safer to play things like that. But here was Aaron, going against every rule I'd tried to follow, and challenging a _god_. I didn't get the chance to smack him though.

The front door burst open, and Caleb bolted in. Everyone in the room froze. Honestly, I was somewhat tempted to break down into hysterical laughter. The kid just couldn't have timed his entrance any better. Behind him, Brooke, Monica, and Alex skidded to a halt.

"Um…hey," Caleb tried nervously.

"Okay, who invited the kids?" someone asked. A few of the gods shot accusatory glares at Apollo.

"What's going on?" Brooke asked.

"Nothing that concerns you, girl," Zeus said, his voice thundering.

The god in front of us snarled. "Oh, come on, let's just kill the brat already." A sword appeared in his hand as he stepped forward. Caleb moved between us and the god, his bow drawn tight with an arrow aimed at the god's face.

"You dare to challenge me?" the god roared.

"Caleb," Brooke snapped, "drop it."

Caleb didn't move. His face was set in an eerie calm. It was a look I would've expected to see on Brooke's face, not his.

Rachel sighed again and stepped between Caleb and the god. "Oh please. You're both acting like two-year-olds." She looked at Caleb. "You, I can extend a little forgiveness to. You aren't even fourteen yet." She turned back to the god and crossed her arms. "You, on the other hand, are thousands of years. Grow up already."

The god's face went bright red. He raised his hand to swing at Rachel.

"Ares!" Apollo shouted.

Ares swung around. "What? You think I'm going to stand here and let this _mortal_ insult me?"

"Touch either of them and I swear—"

Ares busted up with howls of laughter. "You think I'm afraid of you, Apollo? Please, I could break you in half and use your arrows as toothpicks."

The two gods started yelling at each other in Greek. Some of the others rolled their eyes and sighed in annoyance. One or two tried to separate the gods. Most, however, joined the fight with arguments of their own.

Brooke cautiously walked over to us. She laid her hand on Caleb's arm and whispered something in Greek. Whatever she said, it must have convinced him. He lowered his bow and returned the arrow to the quiver on his back.

"This is kind of ridiculous, don't you think?" Rachel whispered to us, gesturing to the gods. I wasn't sure about the others, but I definitely didn't have the guts to answer her.

I swallowed nervously and turned to Brooke. "What are they saying?" I asked quietly.

She didn't answer. Her eyes were focused on the gods, growing bigger by the second. Glancing around, I noticed the other demigods all wearing the same basic expression as her. In the next instant, she and the other three were at it, too. I couldn't tell if they were fighting or what, but I was getting nowhere just standing here.

I tried to listen in on the conversations, not really caring if it was the half-bloods' or gods', but my Greek skills were about as useful as a candle underwater. I could barely pick out any words at all. _Useless. Threat. Stupid. Unwise. Risky. _I got a few others, too, but I didn't like any of them. It wasn't until I managed to pick up on one phrase, probably from Ares, that I started to really freak out: _kill the boy._

My throat tightened up. Coming from Ares, I wasn't exactly sure which boy he meant, but I wasn't interested in letting him kill anyone. I looked around desperately, trying to think of anything. Rachel caught my attention. She was just standing there, staring back at me. She gave me a single head nod, like she was giving me permission or something. I looked away from her, and my eyes landed on Aaron. Somehow, he still had those stupid glasses on. I couldn't see his eyes, but the look on his face wasn't made of fear. Yeah, he was a little pale, and I could see he was tensed up, but that was it. Still, if this demititan was anything like me, even just a little bit, he was having a mental breakdown on the inside.

I made my decision. "Aaron can find Nick!"

I would've preferred all the shouting and death threats to the creepy silence that came next. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Brooke was staring at me in absolute shock. So much for giving Aaron's life time to calm down.

"What?" Aaron asked, genuinely confused. No one said anything. "Um, hello? Does somebody want to explain what she just said?"

"Nick…" Brooke started, her voice cracking a little. "Nick is a demigod. He went missing last summer, and no one's found a trace of him since."

"Chiron," Caleb said softly, "he banned us all from…from looking for him."

Aaron held up his hands and took a step back. "So, a kid went missing, it's forbidden to look for him, and _I'm_ supposed to track him down?"

_Pretty much_, I thought.

"I…I can't do that," Aaron whispered.

"Oh, good, that means we can kill him," Ares grumbled.

"Um, no, not quite," Brooke interrupted. She sounded like she was trying to stay calm, but there was a little tremble in her voice. She was desperate, plain and simple. "Look, Aaron, you have to understand. No one else can find him. Rachel gave Krys some kind of prophecy last summer, something about a child of fire and light finding him. If we're right, then you're the only one who can find Nick."

"And if you're wrong?" Aaron shot back. "Look, I'd like to help you find your friend, but I can't. I…I'm nothing, from a family of nothing."

"Aaron—"

"Besides, how would I even find Nick?"

Okay, I'd like to make a quick point. I thought I knew weird and creepy. I lived and fought in a world full of Greek fairy tales that shouldn't have been real. My dad was the king of the Titans. My best friends consisted of teenage grandchildren of the gods and a goat boy. Yeah, I should have been a master of weird by now. But none of that has ever managed to prepare me for any of Rachel's prophecies.

Her body went rigid, and her eyes started to glow a sick shade of green. I could have sworn I heard snakes hissing as thick green fog formed around her. She turned and stared directly at Aaron. If the kid really had been calm before, he certainly wasn't now. The guy looked like he was going into shock or something. Rachel took a step toward him and opened her mouth:

"_Trail of pain, you shall follow home_

_The seeds of war shall be sown_

_Beneath the waves of the cursed lake_

_Love-struck dove, the servant shall take_

_The life of one shall decide the odds_

_Of the Titans' rise and rule of the gods."_

The light disappeared in Rachel's eyes, and her knees gave out. Caleb reached out and caught her arms, helping her steady herself. She ran a shaky hand through her hair and blinked a few times before looking up. Her shoulders sagged when she saw us.

"Oh, gods," she muttered. "What poor kid did I give a prophecy to this time?"

**Well, there you go. I hope you liked it, and if not, eh, I'll get over it. So, yeah, that's about it. Again, sorry. And if anyone feels like reviewing, that would be nice... Just saying... Well, see ya. Oh, and no guarantee of having another chapter within a reasonable time.**


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